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Freshman Friday

- A pair of young arms teamed up to get the job done for the Yankees on Friday night. Twenty-one year old phenom Phil Hughes worked six strong innings, surrendering only four hits and one run while striking out six. Hughes sent Cleveland Indians hitters back to the dugout shaking their heads in disbelief. Opposing batters were baffled by his ability to change speeds, hurling a sharp 72-77 mile per hour curveball to follow up on a fastball that touches 93. Phil ended his outing in proper fashion by dazzling the final batter he faced with a filthy breaking ball before turning it over to a fellow youngster in Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain proceeded to pick up right where Hughes had left off. He retired the Indians in order in the bottom half of the seventh inning, needing only eight pitches to do so. His eighth inning proved no different as he struck out all three batters he faced, flashing an electric fastball nearing 100 miles per hour and mixing in a deadly slider to go along.

Hughes and Chamberlain dominated hitters in the minor leagues and have been on a fast track to the big stage ever since they were drafted. Both had been lights out during their time spent at the Double and Triple-A levels. Hughes had pitched to the tune of a sub-2.00 earned run average for the Yankees AAA affiliate before making his major league debut in late May. In only his second big league start, Hughes held the Texas Rangers hitless through six and one third innings before suffering a hamstring injury that put him on the shelf until last week. Not to be outdone, Joba Chamberlain pitched to an E.R.A of under 3.00 as a starter while splitting time between AA and AAA. Shortly before being called up, he was moved to the bullpen to better suit the Yankees needs. In four relief appearances at AAA-Scranton, Chamberlain worked five scorless innings, giving up only two hits and striking out ten. In four innings of major league work, he has held opponents to two hits and has yet to allow a run, while racking up six strikeouts along the way.

The Yankees organization had been the target of much criticism as of late due to their unwillingness to make a trade that would bolster their shaky bullpen. However, doing so likely would have meant parting ways with one of these young pitchers, something General Manager Brian Cashman had no intention of doing. The Yankees have taken the time to stock their minor league system with young arms, and it has now begun to pay dividends at the major league level. On his final pitch, Joba Chamberlain made a 20-year veteran in Kenny Lofton look absolutely clueless, tossing a slider that dove swiftly out of the zone as Lofton swung right over it. At this very moment, it was clear why the Yankees decided to keep these two rising stars on staff.

Learn more about this author, Joshua Neagle.
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