New York – Joel Zumaya promised that the red streaks running into his pupils were allergy-related.
Forgive the sellout crowd and the best lineup money can buy if they don’t believe him. The Detroit Tigers’ 21-year-old stormed into Thursday’s game as a setup man and exited as a carnival act. He breathed fire, squinted through bloodshot eyes and threw 103-mph swords.
“I am trying to be intimidating,” said Zumaya, raised in the same Southern California county that produced Mark Prior and Barry Zito. “I made up my mind that I was going after guys. There was no way I was going to mess this up.”
Zumaya doesn’t do finesse, his act playing out like a modern-day Goose Gossage. Of his 21 pitches, 15 reached 100 mph, including a 103-mph fastball on the black that left Derek Jeter helpless. Protecting a 4-3 lead as a bridge to closer Todd Jones, Zumaya struck out three of the five batters he faced.
It was the most dominating postseason performance by a rookie since the Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez bedazzled fans with his slider in 2002.
“He’s a throwback,” said Yankees cleanup hitter Gary Sheffield. “He’s like a (Roger) Clemens or (Nolan) Ryan. I mean he throws 100 plus with command. There’s not much else you can say.”
Who’s on second?
With second baseman Mark Ellis in pain, the A’s might need even more from the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, to close out their series against Minnesota. Ellis broke his right index finger Wednesday when hit by a pitch in the ninth inning. He is expected to miss the remainder of the postseason and be replaced by D’Angelo Jimenez
Footnotes
The Rangers’ managerial search might not leave the building, with bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Rudy Jaramillo emerging as strong candidates. Trey Hillman, managing in Japan, is also on Texas’ list. Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk has generated only tepid interest from Texas. … Boos rained down on the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez after his eighth-inning strikeout. He’s been derisively dubbed “K-Rod” in some tabloid headlines this season. … Rockies adviser Vinny Castilla, who will serve as a color analyst for the World Series for Mexico’s national network, praised Esteban Loaiza’s outing Wednesday against Minnesota. “He’s cold-blooded. Nothing gets to him,” Castilla said of his WBC Mexican teammate. “And when he has that cutter going, he’s tough.”
