CAN THE YANKS WIN THE WORLD SERIES WITHOUT PHIL HUGHES?

The answer:  Probably not. 

Sure, there are certainly other ways the Yanks can win.  The Phils could fumble and collapse of their own accord (not likely).  The Yankees’ starters could all go 8 innings every start, with Mariano Rivera closing out the 9^th (tough, but can be done).  Or the Yankees’ offense could just knock the cover off the ball and win every game by a blowout, such that the performance of the Yankees’ bullpen becomes irrelevant (not likely, especially in light of Lee’s performance last night). 

But other than that, the Yanks really need the bullpen to pitch up to form – specifically, the middle relievers – or they will not win this Series.  The middle relievers have been mediocre at best; but for the most part, they’ve been lousy – and it’s primarily because Phil Hughes has not pitched as well as he has in the regular season.  Indeed, the only reason the ALCS went six games was because Hughes and the middle relievers gave Game 5 away after the offense rallied to go up 6-4 late in the game. 

They did it again last night, with Hughes opening the 8^th inning with 2 walks, and the rest of the middle relief following suit, giving up 4 runs in the last 2 innings to put the game out of reach.  True, when a pitcher like Cliff Lee has a dominant outing like he did last night, there’s not a lot a ball club can do, except wait until he shows a weakness and then pounce.  (And if that doesn’t happen, you tip your cap to the opposing team’s fine play, and you put that game behind you.)  But you have to be in it to win it – which the Yanks might have been if the score in the bottom of the 9^th with runners on first and second and no outs had been 2-0, instead of 6-0.  After the bullpen’s collapse, however, this was not to be.  And while this was a collective failure of the middle relievers, it is Hughes’ failings that have been the most significant. 

This is not to knock Hughes.  As we all know, back in April and May the Yankees were a 3^rd place team because they had a big gaping hole in the 7^th and 8^th inning between the point when the starter ran out of gas, and the point where Rivera got the ball.  The whole season turned around when Hughes went to the bullpen and became that reliable middle reliever that was missing.  Since then, Hughes has been the glue that has held the Yankee pitching together for 9 innings … and, apparently, he still is. 

But now that Hughes is not pitching up to form, are the Yankees not as vulnerable as they were back in April and May? 

It’s not clear why Hughes hasn’t pitched as well – whether it’s because he’s just had a bad couple outings; whether it’s the colder weather; or whether its because he’s now facing the best teams in baseball. 

The good news is that Hughes remains an extraordinary talent, and is the future of the franchise.  He’s got excellent stuff; and when he’s on, he’s the perfect complement to Rivera.  And, as previously discussed, great Yankees are born in the post-season.  So with that in mind, the next several games represent an enormous opportunity for Phil Hughes – a date with destiny, and one that he is no doubt worthy of.  He has had a break-out year, and so a break-out World Series for Hughes would seem only natural.  If Hughes gets back into a groove, the whole team will follow as it did last summer.  If he doesn’t, it may be a very short series for the Yanks.  We shall see.

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