Yankees’ Dave Righetti Is on Trial Once Again

Dave Righetti’s life has become a series of intertwining, frustrating Catch-22 situations.

Righetti was limited to seven innings of work in spring training because the New York Yankees wanted to make sure his arm was healthy for the start of the season.

Now, Righetti says, his arm feels fine but his strength is not what it should be. The result: three rough outings, a 21.00 ERA and a new spate of questions concerning his arm.

Righetti says all he needs is to pitch a lot to pitch better. But because he’s pitching poorly, the Yankees are turning to others.

Righetti, who will never be confused with a defiant, shuck-off-failure stopper, needs to work in a peaceful vacuum to rediscover the magic that made him the game’s most dominant reliever three years ago.

Instead, he works in situations where every minute detail of his struggles and-or successes is intensely scrutinized.

A perfectionist, Righetti is the reliever former Yankees coach Mark Connor once said took defeat harder than any pitcher he’d ever seen. And undoubtedly, Righetti’s entry into 1989 is killing the left-hander.

“Over the winter, you hope it (the negatives) all gets cleansed out,” Righetti said. “But all it takes is one bad game to bring it back.”

Tuesday he wore the excruciating pain on his face. That was the night Righetti was brought into a 6-6 game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th inning moments after a two-run rally by the Yankees had forced extra innings.

Righetti struck out the side. He also allowed hits to the first four Blue Jays he faced, a brutal lead-in to what became a five-run, six-hit inning and an 11-6 Jays’ victory that also was the Yankees’ seventh straight loss.

Jesse Barfield, one of Righetti’s strikeout victims, wondered aloud why the pitcher would throw an 0-and-2 changeup. That’s baseball parlance for saying something’s not right with a hard-throwing pitcher.

Up in one of the Yankees’ many television booths, 300-game winner-turned-commentator Tom Seaver also said Righetti didn’t look like the pitcher who has saved 162 games for the Yankees since 1984. Seaver said Righetti looked like a guy with some arm troubles.

“I tend to agree with Tom,” said another former pitcher, Yankees Manager Dallas Green. But, Green said, he and Righetti have this deal, one struck in spring training: If Righetti is hurt, he has vowed to tell Green.

“I don’t think Dave’s protecting anything,” Green said. “I hope he’s not. If his arm hurts, he’s got to tell us. I haven’t been led in any direction other than he’s fine.”

Righetti insists he’s fine. Even after Tuesday’s bashing, in which Righetti’s pitches just seemed to hang enticingly in the Jays’ pull zone rather than explode on by. He admits that in the past, the sore shoulder has led to a tender elbow. “Then, I was trying to protect the shoulder,” he said. “But I’m healthy now.”

Righetti did not resent Seaver’s comments. He said it was a compliment that such a pitcher expected better of him. “But that’s the problem,” Righetti said. “Just because you get your butt kicked doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.

“I felt good. I have no excuses.”

For Righetti, that refrain is becoming familiar. It’s one he’s had to turn to with alarming frequency the last two seasons.

Righetti blew nine saves in 1988, 13 the year before and 10 in 1986, when he saved a record 46 games. Righetti saved only 25 games in 1988. He also lost four games. The league hit .257 against Righetti in 1988, down slightly from the .262 of 1987, but still drastically worse than the .226 in Righetti’s record-setting season of 1986.

The falloff increases the doubts with every poor outing. That, in itself, takes a toll. Righetti admits he’s trying to find the middle ground emotionally, trying to find the groove physically to end the constant reassessment of his abilities.

So, three games into the 1989 season, Righetti is in that white hot spotlight again: his fans, his team, wondering what’s wrong with him.

Wednesday, Green needed a stopper, but he could not turn to Righetti, who had faced 10 batters Tuesday. Instead, Green used Lee Guetterman, who saved the 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays.

Even if Righetti were rested, the save situation might not have been his. Green says he might temporarily move the pitcher to middle innings. There’s more work to be found there. Less pressure, too.

So Righetti must wait and wonder if and when prime time will be his time again. And he must wait to see if the Yankees believe him when he says he’s only rusty. Green does right now. But Green also knows Righetti has been known to suffer pain in silence rather than offer excuses.

“We’ve talked about that,” Green said. “That’s something Dave would have to live with. I’ve told him how I feel. That’s all I can do.”