Several months and a baseball lifetime ago, the Yankees expected Phil Hughes to do just what he did Wednesday night: give them a shot at a win in a September game against a playoff contender at Yankee Stadium.
Hughes had gone beyond simply doing that when he won a crucial game in last season's American League Division Series against Cleveland. That performance helped inspire a trust that made the Yankees cling to Hughes in the offseason. They refused to loosen their grip and reach for Minnesota ace Johan Santana in a trade. Of course, all this time later, that September game Hughes pitched well in Wednesday night meant little to the Yankees' season -- or the rookie pitcher's, for that matter. In his first start for the Yankees since April, Hughes threw four innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory over the White Sox that didn't even give him his first win of the season.
His record still stood at 0-4, his ERA at 7.96 and his season as a tremendous disappointment.
But at least he was finally back in the big leagues after starting off poorly in April, then succumbing to a fractured rib and working his way back in the minors when he regained his health.
At least Hughes offered another glimpse of the potential the Yankees hope to see more of in the future.
YANKEES 5, WHITE SOX 1: Phil Hughes pitched four innings of one-run ball in his first start since April, and the Yankees scored all of their runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez homered in the eighth to lead the late onslaught.
Play FOX Fantasy Football Today >
