In life there are expectations and then there are the expectations of the New York Yankees. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes experienced that first hand as the Yankees drafted him in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. Hughes made his Major League debut in 2007 with the Yankees as he went 5-3 with a 4.46 earned run average in 13 starts. The Yankees implemented the “Hughes Rules” as the youngster was treated with the kid gloves. The Yanks were in the process of grooming Hughes as they were hopeful that he would become their next great starting pitcher. Hughes was a member of the Yankees World Series Championship team in 2009 as he worked out of the bullpen that year in the postseason. By 2010 Hughes went 18-8 with a 4.19 earned run average as he was named to his first American League All-Star team. Over the next three years Hughes was never again able to live up his 2010 season as he went 25-32 and in the process he was literally booed out of Yankee Stadium. When Hughes hit free agency last winter the Yankees were not in a rush to roll out the red carpet and thus he took his show on the road.
The Minnesota Twins saw enough of Hughes to give him a chance as they signed him to a three-year, $24 million deal. The expectation level for the Twins is nowhere near what it is for the Yankees and so far Hughes is benefiting from it.
So far Hughes is 6-1 this season with an earned run average of 3.12. Hughes’ earned run average this season is his lowest since 2009 and he is on pace to match his his career-high in wins.
Hughes started off slow this season going 2-1 in the month of April with a 5.14 earned run average. But since the calender turned to the month of May, Hughes has been a different pitcher.
Last month Hughes was 3-0 with a 1.62 earned run average which was highlighted by 7 innings of shutout baseball in a 2-1 victory by the Twins over the three-time defending American League Central Division Champion Detroit Tigers. Hughes made his return to Yankee Stadium this past Sunday. Hughes shut down his former employer as he limited the Yankees to a pair of runs and 3 hits while striking out 6 batters in 8 innings of work. The Twins would go on to defeat the Yankees 7-2. In Hughes’ 11 starts this season the Twins are 9-2 and they have not lost when he takes the mound since April 15 and Minnesota will look to keep it going tonight when they host the Houston Astros.
Hughes has benefited mightily from pitching at Target Field in Minneapolis. Hughes is a sinker ball pitcher that needs to keep his pitches low in the zone and pitching at Yankee Stadium wasn’t a good fit for him. The new Yankee Stadium is a launching pad and between the home runs that Hughes surrendered and the jeers that he received from the fans in the Bronx, the park was simply in his head. Target Field is more cavernous than Yankee Stadium as Hughes’ new home ballpark coincides with his pitching style.
As I eluded to earlier Hughes is no longer under the same pressure that he faced in New York City. The Yankee franchise is striving for their 28th World Series Championship while the Twins are just looking to avoid losing 90-plus games for the fourth consecutive season. Where Hughes would have a contingency of beat writers around his locker with the Yankees, he only has to deal with a few in Minneapolis and they are not consistently peppering him for a potential story. New York City is the biggest media market in America and it is also one of the toughest sports cities to win in. Every athlete is not built for it as Hughes personally found that out, but he has landed on his feet with the Twins.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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