We all know the Yankees’ run of four World Series titles was built on pitching. And we all knew that, despite the success of the staff, many of those pitchers grumbled about Jorge Posada. Not when he was belting doubles and home runs at the plate. But more than a few were less than thrilled with the way Posada caught and called the game.
Now comes the stats in today’s New York Times that are nothing short of chilling for a team whose pitching staff, expected to be a major strength this season, has struggled. When Posada is behind the plate, the Yankees ERA is 6.31. It’s almost three runs less — 3.81 — when either Francisco Cervelli, Jose Molina, or Kevin Cash is calling the pitches. To be fair, Posada has caught four starts by Chein-Ming Wang, who has yet to recover from the torn tendon he suffered running the bases last May in Houston (I love interleague play, but hate that pitchers have to bat in NL parks). But even subtracting those games, Posada’s ERA is 5.47.
Newcomer AJ Burnett, who has fared far better when Posada is not behind the plate (batters have hit .330 in four games pitching to Posada, .223 in nine games pitching to the other three), had this to say after his shutout performance pitching to Cervelli against the Mets on Sunday: “I think it’s just a matter of — I don’t know if it’s the catcher — but we threw curveballs in fastball counts, we had them looking for something and they had no idea what was coming, I don’t think,” Burnett said. “That’s huge.”
The Yankees want — and need — Jorge’s bat in the lineup, and the DH slot is already occupied by aging Hideki Matsui. So he will play the bulk of the games behind the plate. But it’s pitching that wins, and if the Yankee pitchers continue to struggle pitching to Posada, New York will have a touch decision to make.
