Irabu Probably Not Back With Yanks Sunday

Even before Hideki Irabu uncorked his first pitch for Class AAA Columbus Wednesday night, Joe Torre said the Japanese pitcher would “probably not” be promoted to the Yankees to start against Minnesota on Sunday. So, contrary to what George Steinbrenner had said about Irabu’s imminent return to the Yanks, his ascension will apparently wait until he makes at least one more minor-league start.

Torre, the Yankees manager, said that the team would not have Irabu on a lower pitch count to keep him fresh for a possible major-league start on Sunday. He said the club actually planned to “stretch him out” by using Irabu deep into the game against Richmond.

Indeed, Irabu got in a good workout, giving up three runs and six hits in eight innings and throwing 113 pitches. He struck out 11, walked three and did not figure in the decision.

Torre’s revelations meant that Kenny Rogers, the prodigal Yankee, will probably start Sunday after pitching decently in a 4-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

“I’m going to wait until tomorrow to say that,” Torre said before Wednesday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. “He’s the only other pitcher who could pitch.”

The Yankees have finally convinced Steinbrenner, the team’s owner, that Irabu’s schedule cannot take precedence over that of the other starters, and that the well-being of his second-place team must come first. Torre emphasized that during conversations with Mark Newman and Billy Connors, the Yankee officials who were in Columbus, Ohio, to monitor Irabu.

“Obviously he has to carry his weight,” Torre said of Irabu. “We’re in a pennant race. It’s not like the first half where you can say, ‘Let’s be patient.’ When games are running down the way they are now, we want to win every game. We talked about doing everything we can to make him as ready as he can be.”

Although Irabu tossed seven shutout innings in his first tuneup start for Columbus, against Rochester on Aug. 1, the Yankees do not want to risk bringing him back before he may be ready to help them. Irabu floundered in his last three starts with the Yankees before being demoted with a 2-2 record and a 7.97 ERA. When he returns, the Yankees want a polished pitcher, not one who is experimenting.

“I think it’s more of him performing to our schedule,” Torre said when asked if the Yankees were poised to bypass Irabu because they did not want him to pitch on only three days’ rest.

“We’re pitching pretty good. It’s a combination of things. Trying to shorten him up might not be the smartest thing.”

But just because Rogers is expected to start Sunday does not mean New York is thrilled with the $20 million man. General manager Bob Watson was lukewarm in appraising Rogers, who allowed one run and six hits in his first start since June 15.

“He threw OK,” Watson said. “For a guy who hadn’t pitched in a while, he threw OK.”