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 "It's like a B-12 shot, it kind of pumps you up and rejuvenates
you," Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter told Reuters from the
visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium about the trade that brought
the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner to Motown from Tampa
Bay last week.
Price joined fellow Cy Young winners Justin Verlander (2011) and Max
Scherzer (2013) in Detroit's starting rotation, giving the American
League Central-leading Tigers the last three pitchers to be named
best in the league.
While baseball historians debate how Detroit's staff stands up to
other great rotations, the youngest member of the starting corps
cautioned against taking past success for granted.
"You don't win a championship ... on paper, you win it on the
field," said 25-year-old Rick Porcello, Detroit's least heralded
starter despite an impressive 13-5 record this season.
For the hosting Yankees, the series was a case of another day,
another Cy Young winner to face as Price pitched on Tuesday
following Scherzer's series-opening assignment, with Verlander
slated to go on Wednesday.
"I'm not sure I've ever heard of three Cy Young winners right on top
of each other like that," said Yankees center fielder Jacoby
Ellsbury.
New York split the opening two games with Detroit winning Price's
start 4-3 in 12 innings. The hard-throwing lefty struck out 10 and
walked none over 8 2/3 innings in his Tigers debut.
Thursday's closing game of the series did not figure to get easier
for a Yankees (58-54) team in the midst of a tight wild card race as
2013 AL earned run average leader Anibal Sanchez was taking his turn
for Detroit.
PITCHING PARAMOUNT
Verlander, a veteran of two Tiger pennant winners, said the team
would miss pitcher Drew Smyly and center fielder Austin Jackson,
traded in a three-team deal that included the Mariners, but that
effective pitching was the biggest factor in winning.
"You're adding somebody with a track record like David Price but
you're losing two teammates that had been doggone good for us,"
Verlander told Reuters from the Detroit dugout before Tuesday's
game.
"I think the organization feels this is a move to get us a World
Series and they did it."
Verlander, who also won AL most valuable player honors in 2011 and
at 31 is the elder of Detroit's rotation, said pitching could not be
overvalued.
"It starts and ends with pitching. It's monumental, the effect
pitchers have on that given game," the right-hander said.
"A batter can go out there and hit two homers and have four (runs
batted in) but if the pitcher is horrible, they're probably not
going to win and it doesn't matter.
"If the pitcher’s good that day and only gives up one run or no runs
you've got a great shot to win."
Hunter, a five-times All-Star in his 18th major league season, said
he thought 28-year-old Price, who has a career mark of 82-47, might
have even better days ahead.
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"I’ve been an admirer of David Price, how much of a bulldog he is. He
throws 93, 94, 96 (mph) whenever he wants to and rises to the occasion,"
Hunter, 39, said.
"Playing down in Tampa, you probably don’t get that many fans. I wonder
what he’d do with a sold-out crowd and a good lineup with Miggy
(Detroit's two-time AL MVP Miguel Cabrera) and Victor (Martinez) and all
the other guys.
"I hated facing him. I’m so happy he’s on my side."
UNPREDICTABLE BEAUTY
Porcello said Price's contribution can go beyond his own performances on
the mound.
"I’m really looking forward to playing with him. I can’t wait to pick
his brain and learning whatever I can from him."
The young right-hander said he has gotten a lot out of talking strategy
on the bench with his fellow pitchers.
"It’s a really fun rotation to be a part of, there’s a lot of really
smart and intelligent pitchers on our staff that I can benefit from," he
said.
"When we’re in the dugout we’ll go over pitch selection. We'll go back
and forth (predicting), 'Curve ball here, throw a changeup here, an
elevated fastball' ... stuff like that. It helps, because your brain is
always going and you're always thinking about how to attack these
hitters."
Lee Mazzilli, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues and managed the
Baltimore Orioles in 2004 and 2005, conceded how impressive Detroit's
pitching is, but said from his seat up in the press box that nothing is
certain in baseball.
"I’ve seen great teams with good pitching, but the team that gets hot in
a short series is the one to be reckoned with," Mazzilli said.
"The beauty of baseball, is that it is so unpredictable. That’s what
makes it so exciting."
Porcello said teams don't win on reputations.
"It’s nice to read all the names that we have on the roster but you have
to go out there and deliver," he said. "People aren’t going to just bow
down to you. We’re going to have a target on our backs."
(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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