TRUST Jon Lieber’s 22 months are far longer than Derek Jeter went without a hit. Fortunately, muscle memory is more durable than even a Don Zimmer grudge, so the transplanted Cub with the transplanted tendon in his right elbow needed no directions yesterday to the Yankee Stadium mound and neither did his pitches toward the plate.
Either adrenaline is a wonderful thing, or this is the greatest miracle since Dr. James Andrews, rumored to be a moonlighting brain surgeon on weekends, also reconstructed Ruben Sierra’s personality. Lieber, more rusted than any Royals’ team trophy, looked utterly to be trusted yesterday, giving up five hits and three runs in seven innings as the Yankees won for the fifth straight time.
That’s all the way through the rotation without a loss, with four of the wins by starters, including one each by the No. 4 and 5 guys, who have generated much justifiable anxiety than should either Jeter or Mike Mussina or any other Yankee off to a turtle’s start.
Lieber worked even faster than a fan can forget, surrendered no walks and no clue of what a long road back it has been, or might still be. Hey, if it were easy getting major league batters out, then Jeff Weaver could do it. After missing an entire season, not even Oil Can Boyd could return without squeaks. These elbows Dr. Andrews does may be as good as new, but there is strong evidence the old reliable pitcher attached to them takes longer.
Kerry Wood went 8-7, 4.80 in 137 innings the season he came back from Tommy John surgery. Matt Morris went 3-3, 3.57 in 113 innings, Kris Benson 9-6, 4.70 in 130 innings. John Smoltz did five starts and went to the bullpen, where he only had to throw an inning at a time. Tom Gordon strained muscles he never knew he had in a year-and-a-half of struggles until his arm was strong enough to throw three or four breaking balls in a row.
So we don’t know for how long Lieber sold his soul or to whom, or where his next start will take him, only suspect that throwing 69 strikes in 91 pitches sure beat not lasting into the third inning or undergoing anesthesia.
“All of a sudden our rotation looks a whole lot brighter than it did even a week ago,” said Mel Stottlemyre after Lieber gave up five hits and three runs in seven innings as the Yanks beat the Royals 12-4.
The Yankees even look a lot brighter than they did more than a year ago, when they gave a once 20-game winner a retainer and a place to rehab, expecting last season to be the last for Roger Clemens and David Wells, before proceeding into the offseason like they were content to make it Andy Pettitte’s too.
Lieber was on schedule until he strained a groin midway through spring training.
“Oscar Acosta, who had [Lieber] in Chicago with us in the spring and told me he had never seen him throw the ball as well,” said Stottlemyre. “But I was very shocked today at his command.
“The three balls to his left, he had to go hard and it was a good sign they didn’t bother his legs. After everything he has been through, it was just a tremendous day for him.”
It was so good, it was almost too good to be true. “The guys I talked to who had the surgery, said the first problem is to try to find command,” said Lieber. “But after the last start in rehab I thought it was where I wanted it to be.
“I was able to get my curveball over both sides of the plate and when I do that, my fastball follows. It’s a long season. I’ll take it a game at a time.”
But when asked if he could pick up where he left off, Lieber said: “I’d like to think so.”
On a beautiful day, the best Jon Lieber has had in 22 months, it was easy to forget he would be the first.
Not much has changed
Jon Lieber yesterday made his first major-league appearance since pitching for the Cubs on Aug. 1, 2002. Yesterday’s start for the Yankees was remarkably similar to his previous outing.
Here’s a look at the two games:
Date Opponent IP H R ER BB K Pit. Result
Aug. 1, 2002 Padres 7 5 2 2 0 6 91 Cubs won, 8-7
May 1, 2004 Royals 7 5 3 3 0 3 91 Yankees won, X-X
Lieber gave up a first-inning run in both games.