The Sentimentalization of Tanyon Sturtze (guest blogger BGW)

The Sentimentalization of Tanyon Sturtze

I’ve only one extended point to make about today’s win over KC. Leading 4-1 in the top of the 8th—a save situation that one fully expects to see Rivera in for the 9th—Torre elects to bring Tanyon Sturtze in the pitch the 8th. Let me remind you that Kyle Farnsworth, the set up guy for Rivera the Yankees went out and signed this offseason, is available to pitch. That is, the guy who is supposed to pitch in the 8th as the bridge to Rivera is standing in the bullpen, while Sturtze is on the mound in a relatively close game. He promptly gave up a solo hr to the first batter he faced, before retiring the next three batters. No harm no foul right, especially considering that the Yankees went on to score 5 more runs in the bottom half of the inning?

Wrong. Lots of harm here. Sturtze in the 8th? What the fuck? Now, I like Sturtze. I root for him—it’s easy and natural to root for the underdog, even if you’re a Yankee fan. This is a guy who just a few years ago was a joke starter (4-18 in 2002) on what was then the biggest joke team in baseball, the Devil Rays. The Yanks plucked him out of obscurity because of an injury plagued staff mid season in 04. He did a better than expected job occasionally for the team that year, although he did still post an era of close to 6. He became emotionally invested in the team during the A-Rod-Varitek brawl—he was the starting pitcher that day, and in a parallel to Varitek’s cheap, punk sucker punch of A-Rod, Sturtze was attacked from beyond by bible-belt hick Trot Nixon, who, when Sturtze was on his back pinned to the ground, jumped on him and began punching him. Sturtze was bleeding from the face and had to leave the game shortly after. The high point of his career no doubt came later that year, in the ill fated game four of the ALCS again against the Red Sox; with El Duque out after 5 innings, and the team clinging to a one run lead, Torre went with Sturtze over Flash Gordon to pitch 2 full innings, in which he was not just good, but electric. He overpowered the potent Sox lineup and got the requisite 6 outs. So, there’s reason to be sympathetic to him.

But we all know that, over the long term, Sturtze is the epitome of sports mediocrity. This is a guy with obviously enough talent to get major league hitters out sometimes. But just as often, he is wild and or gets lit up in a big, big way. He is not consistent and not reliable. He seems physically uncomfortable on the mound, constantly fidgeting. At best, Sturtze should be the guy the team brings in when they are down 8 runs in the 4th to eat up innings; or maybe to pitch the 9th when they are up 8 runs.

Torre, apparently, likes him. As a person. And as broadcaster John Sterling said today “Sturtze would run through a brick wall for Torre.” But surely this cannot be the criteria for who gets the call in big situations. That Sturtze wants to succeed is beside the point. That Torre wants him to is also beside the point. After the hr today, Torre took the rare step of going out to the mound himself, not to yank him, but to give him a pep talk. That’s a kind thing to do, but also a sign of Torre’s fatal lack of savvy. Sterling and Waldman kept saying, “Well, the Yankees are going to need Sturzte this year.” The Yankees NEED Damon to get on base. They NEED Johnson to be dominant every 5 days. They NEED 100 RBI from A-Rod, Sheff, Matusi and Giambi. They don’t NEED Tanyon Sturtze, whose job can be filled by any number of middling level middle relief guys. To me, this move today was worse than bringing Proctor in a tie game on the road with Rivera rested and ready. That had some (wrong) logic about rain and needing to save your closer when you’re on the road in extras, etc. This was purely about sentiment. The sentiment that gave an ineffectual Mike Mussina two starts against the Angels in the ADLS when Chacon was clearly the better pitcher. The sentiment that gave Kevin Brown the ball in game 7 against the Red Sox in 04. The sentiment that kept Bernie in CF so many times last year and the year before, even with Kenny Lofton on the bench, and that now occasionally puts Bernie in right field. The sentiment that prevents winning a championship.