Wake up call
Tonight marks the third time already this season that Tim Wakefield will pitch against the Yankees. Thus far, he is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA against New York. Despite not getting the decision, the Red Sox also won Wakefield’s first start against the Yankees May 1 at Fenway Park.
When Yankees manager Joe Torre was asked if seeing Wakefield for a third time might help his hitters, his one-word answer was, “No.”
“If it’s up high, it’s usually hittable,” Torre said about Wakefield’s knuckleball. “If [Doug] Mirabelli is having a difficult time corralling it, you know how hard it is to hit it. What you hope for is a tumbler.”
Despite the praise though, the Yankees have handled Wakefield well recently. They were 4-1 against him last season, dealing the knuckleballer one-third of his 12 losses on the season. Derek Jeter has had the most success of any Yankee in the lineup against Wakefield: .308 with three homers. Jason Giambi, who is not in tonight’s lineup, is just a .177 career hitter against Wakefield. Bernie Williams, playing left, has just 12 hits in 53 career at-bats against him.
“He’s a competitor,” Torre said. “I said to him yesterday that he’d be better served by a day off, and he said, ‘Not here.’ He’s a special athlete. He loves to compete.”
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