Blue Jays Mystified by Cone

David Cone proved there is still some life left in his right arm.

Cone bounced back from a pounding in his previous start, holding the Toronto Blue Jays to three hits in seven scoreless innings Friday night as the New York Yankees won, 6-0, at New York for Cone’s first victory of the season at Yankee Stadium.

“Something was out of whack,” Cone said. “I understand all of the tough questions about my age and my health. Hopefully this will help me get back on track.”

After Cone (1-2) gave up eight runs in three innings in an 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays last Saturday, critics wondered whether the tens of thousands of pitches had finally caught up to the 37-year-old right-hander.

But Manager Joe Torre said before the game that he remained confident in Cone despite his 2-7 record and 5.98 earned-run average in 17 regular-season starts since pitching a perfect game against the Montreal Expos last July 18.

But Cone knew something wasn’t right.

“What I was doing wasn’t working so I needed to try something new,” he said. “My mechanics were all off.”

Some slight adjustments in his delivery--moving from the extreme right of the pitching rubber to the left side and swinging his arms before starting his delivery--appeared to do the trick for Cone, who lowered his ERA from 10.70 to 7.66.

“He was all pumped up about this start,” Torre said. “He didn’t want a day off yesterday. He made some adjustments in the bullpen. Whether it’s in his mind or actual, it obviously helped everything because he seemed comfortable. He was certainly in a great groove.”

Cone, known for inventing pitches from various arm angles, threw twice with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre between starts, one more than usual. He moved his feet on Sunday and added the rocking motion Tuesday.

The Blue Jays managed only five baserunners against Cone. The right-hander, known for his high pitch counts, needed only 84 pitches to get through seven innings.