10/01: Yankees Bring in Wakefield "Impersonator"
Posted by: Patrick
Wakefield impersonator hired:
Don't know if I'd go that far... also don't know if it'll do much good, but I guess it can't hurt.
The way George Steinbrenner sees it, the best way for the Yankees to finally figure out how to hit Tim Wakefield is to practice against the next best thing.
And that's someone who learned how to throw his knuckler from Wakefield.
So, at Steinbrenner's request, the Yankees reached out on Thursday to one of their former pitchers, Joe Ausanio – who pitched with Wakefield in the Pirates organization in the early 1990s – and asked him to throw batting practice before Saturday's game.
"Honestly," Ausanio said Friday night, "I thought they were joking." ...
Ausanio said, "This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
And that's someone who learned how to throw his knuckler from Wakefield.
So, at Steinbrenner's request, the Yankees reached out on Thursday to one of their former pitchers, Joe Ausanio – who pitched with Wakefield in the Pirates organization in the early 1990s – and asked him to throw batting practice before Saturday's game.
"Honestly," Ausanio said Friday night, "I thought they were joking." ...
Ausanio said, "This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
Don't know if I'd go that far... also don't know if it'll do much good, but I guess it can't hurt.
