Tuesday, October 24, 2000
World Series Notebook
Torre picks Neagle to start Game 4
By Chris Haft
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW YORK — Yankees manager Joe Torre decided to give Denny Neagle another shot at a postseason start instead of giving David Cone his first start in more than three weeks.
After days of speculation that Cone would move back into the Yankees' rotation for Game 4 of the World Series against the New York Mets, Torre said Monday that he was sticking with Neagle.
“Not having pitched in a month, other than just that one inning, I was concerned with the length I could get from him,” Torre said of Cone.
Cone, one of baseball's best big-game pitchers with an 8-3 postseason record, had his worst season as a pro this year. He went 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA and dislocated his left shoulder diving for a ball in September.
He has pitched only one inning in the playoffs — a perfect eighth in Game 5 against Seattle — and hasn't made a start since Sept. 30.
“I was happy to have been there in the mix,” Cone said. “It made me feel good. Joe assured me I am part of his plans. I have to be ready. I'm very confident the bullpen phone is going to ring and my name is going to be on the line.”
Neagle lost two starts in the AL championship series against Seattle, allowing five runs and seven walks in 10 innings.
NO KNOBLAUCH: Torre reversed his decision to play scatter-armed Chuck Knoblauch at second base. Knoblauch batted leadoff in the Series' first two games as the Yankees' designated hitter, but that role will vanish while games are played at Shea Stadium, the National League representative's park.
“There were a number of things that kept me awake last night, and that was one of them,” Torre said. “It's basically because he (Knoblauch) hasn't played a lot there (recently).”
Torre said that Vizcaino, the Game 1 hero who has been batting ninth, will occupy the leadoff spot.
CHANGES COMING?: Without getting specific, Mets manager Bobby Valentine said he also was “thinking about some” lineup changes for tonight's Game 3.
Replacing rookie right fielder Timo Perez with Darryl Hamilton is an obvious possibility. Though Perez excelled in the first two rounds of the playoffs, he's 1-for-10 in the Series and looked shaky defensively in Game 2. Hamilton, the 11-year veteran who's a sure fielder, hit .276 in 43 games during an injury-plagued regular season and has gone 2-for-7 at the plate in the postseason.
HARRIS PREFERS BOXING: Lenny Harris knows how to avoid the intense media scrutiny of a World Series, especially this Subway Series. Harris who has been playing professional baseball since 1983 does not watch the game on television.
Not even the highlights of his first World Series.
“I don't watch ESPN or baseball analysis and all that stuff,” Harris said. “I only watch boxing on TV.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Torre picks Neagle to start Game 4
