The other white meat, Kei Igawa, the Yankees picked up after losing the Dice-K sweepstakes got off to a surprisingly good start. Igawa pitched two easy innings allowing only a bunt hit during his first intersquad outing.
You listen for what the hitters are saying when they walk by you, and what they were saying was, 'Ooooh, he's sneaky,'" pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "It's not that he's overpowering. He doesn't throw hard. But because of his mechanics, the ball is going to get to you a little sooner than you think. That's sneaky."
I believe the success of this rotation rests on the shoulders of Carl 'Mr. Glass' Pavano. With a glut of wiley soft throwing starters and Philip Hughes not due up in the Bigs until later this summer, the Yankees need that arm with pop that was lost with Randy Johnson. Igawa's craftiness would fit nicely following a healthy Pavano in the rotation. I'm hoping we hear nothing but good news out of the kid for the rest of spring training. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, this season's most successful Japanese pitcher snagged during the offseason might not be playing in Boston.