By George King. New York Post. March 10
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- As Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez dressed in the cramped quarters of the visiting Jack Russell Stadium clubhouse yesterday morning, his mind wasn't at ease.
In a few hours the Yankees' No. 1 hurler would make his first exhibition start that was delayed by a stiff lower back.
Would he be able to start his delivery with the patented high kick of the left leg that has become the Cuban refugee's signature?
What would happen when he pushed off with his right foot?
How about the landing? And what type of action would be on the pitches he threw at the Phillies. Could he bounce off the mound to field ground balls and cover first base?
As those concerns danced through El Duque's mind, Joe Torre sat in a dugout refusing to fret about the Yankees' projected Opening Day starter being behind schedule.
"There was worry, but when I started to warm up, got treatment and when I started throwing I felt good so I didn't think about it anymore," El Duque said after two scoreless innings in what developed into a 5-3 Yankee loss.
While El Duque was worrying, Torre was benefiting from not being able to chat as easily with El Duque as he can with other pitchers due to a language barrier that is becoming smaller with time.
"Maybe that's one of the good things about the communication problems, I didn't know anything about that," Torre said of El Duque's doubts. "I felt better than he did."
Using his entire arsenal, El Duque gave up one hit, one walk and fanned two. And he lifted Paul O'Neill's spirits by working out of a second-and-third jam with one out in the second.
"I love to watch him pitch with a man on third, they never seem to score," O'Neill said.
El Duque's outing consisted of 45 pitches, 28 of which found the strike zone. Afterward, El Duque didn't care about the zeroes or the pitches, all he wanted to rap about was that he was OK.
"I am happy the back doesn't hurt," El Duque said through a huge smile.
Torre, who never stops talking about pitching being the Yankees' biggest muscle, wasn't relieved because he said he wasn't worried. However, he certainly liked what he saw.
"He was able to throw all his pitches, there were no restrictions other than he threw two innings but he can jump from two to four innings with no problem," Torre said. "I thought he was sharp considering that he hadn't pitched."
Catcher Jorge Posada always challenges El Duque to be better and yesterday was no different.
"He was missing with his location, but I don't think it was anything to do with the back," Posada said. "It was more him just not being on the mound. He was just missing around the plate and that's not usually where he throws."
After giving up a two-out single to Bobby Abreu in the first, El Duque used a hard-biting slider to fan cleanup hitter Scott Rolen. In the second, El Duque broke two bats with fastballs on the fists.
A walk to leadoff man Mike Lieberthal preceded Kevin Jordan popping out. Chuck Knoblauch's throwing error on Marlon Anderson's slow roller put runners on second and third for Desi Relaford. He fouled out to Posada and El Duque fanned pitcher Robert Person to end it.
"He is so important as any of the guys on the staff are and El Duque is special," Posada said. "He showed he wasn't hurt and that is a good thing. He would like to throw more strikes but his velocity was there. It was a good first start and his second should be better. He was
popping the glove pretty good."
The only sign that El Duque wasn't back to his regular program was him not running in the outfield after he was done pitching. However, he said he was physically able to run, but didn't have to.
"I am just happy the back doesn't hurt," said El Duque, who indicated he never missed a start due to injury in Cuba.
So, too, are the Yankees. Even if Torre wasn't losing sleep over it.
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