HOORAY!

for Kei. I told you from the start that I like Igawa and I think he is going to be a solid if unspectacular addition to the rotation. The key is whether he can be a number 3. Mussina is in my view a back of the rotation guy now, even when healthy, and while Pavano could be a solid 3 if healthy, he never is. Eight good starts and counting after last night. The moment of the game came in the 4th inning. Igawa had given up 2 and looked shaky in the third; the Yanks scored fivee in their half for a 6-2 lead and the question was would Igawa blow up and give it all back or let them back in by inches. He did neither, slamming the door over 4 scoreless innings and giving the bullpen a needed rest. He strikes me as a competitor, which he'll need to be given the absence of a power pitch.