(Photo courtesy of The AP)
7 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run allowed, and 7 Ks? And escaping from a bases loaded, nobody out jam unscathed? And all this was done in front of the home crowd who no doubt still treat every Javy start like sharks waiting to smell blood in the water, no less. I think this is what the Yankee brass and fanbase had in mind when they traded for this guy back in December. I wouldn't say it absolves Javy of all his sins in the eyes of the fans, and he's still carrying a 6.06 ERA after last night, but that's 3 quality starts out of his last 4 now and he's starting to pitch with more confidence. I guess trusting and locating your fastball will do that.
If Javy can keep this up, it makes CC's struggles all the less important and give him more time to work his shit out as the rest of the staff seems to be doing just fine.