In his spring training debut, Kei Igawa apparently threw like a “Joe” from Pros VS Joes. In the Yankees first exhibition game of the spring, Igawa was sent to the mound in the sixth inning against the University of South Florida. He then proceeded to walk two batters, hit another batter, and threw an errant pitch. When he loaded the bases, the next batter hit a grand slam. Did I mention they were playing USF?!!! A college team for crying out loud…and that is just about what I did. Unbelievable. Apparently the hitter, Eric Baumann, a pinch hitter, had struck out in his only two at-bats of the season…according to Peter Abraham of the Journal News.
I expect bad outings by almost all pitchers their first few times on the mound in the spring, but this is unacceptable. Right now he is our best option to start if a member of our rotation misses any extended time. This certainly doesn’t bode well for my confidence. The Yankees have no choice but to hold onto him and hope he breaks out of his funk. And then maybe, a very big MAYBE, he will have some value for the Yanks and teams will come calling. At least he pitches and tries to earn his money unlike Carl Pavano.
Joe Igawa seems like a fitting name for Kei. It is easy to pronounce and it depicts him as just being another guy. And that is the way he should be perceived by all fans unless he gives us reason to believe otherwise. Lets sign Yu Darvish!
Happy Leap Day to all!
Posted by cmarms 
