YANKEE NOTES
BOSTON – Alex Graman was such a strong pitching prospect that the Cubs insisted on the lefty being included in a 2000 deal for Sammy Sosa. On the advice of Yankee pitching guru Billy Connors, George Steinbrenner balked at giving up a young arm, and the deal died.
Four years later, Graman makes his major-league debut tonight for the Yankees against the White Sox in Chicago.
While Graman never pitched himself completely off the radar screen, he was passed by fellow lefty Brandon Claussen as the Yankees’ top pitching prospect and posted one winning minor-league season in the last four.
In the past few years Graman never would have gotten called up from Triple-A Columbus when Jorge De Paula went down with an elbow problem. The Yankees would have plugged Sterling Hitchcock or Jose Contreras into the rotation.
But De Paula was already subbing for Jon Lieber, and the Yankees no longer have seven arms for five spots. So, ready or not, the 26-year-old Graman takes the big stage.
“This is unbelievable,” Graman said. “It’s a dream just to come [to Boston].”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Graman was 0-2 with a 0.90 ERA in two starts for the Clippers. Since being taken in the third round of the 1999 draft, Graman is 46-45 as a minor-leaguer.
While tonight is big for Graman, he is slated to start against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, too.
“That would be my guess,” Yankee manager Joe Torre said of using the neophyte versus the Red Sox. “I don’t know what would change that unless something happens [tonight] that we aren’t anticipating.”
Said Graman: “I haven’t looked at that. I have to worry about [tonight] first.”
* Torre started Travis Lee at first for the second straight game yesterday and used Jason Giambi as the DH. While Giambi prefers to be on the field and points to his numbers being better when he is at first, Torre says Giambi is OK with the DH role.
“Whatever is best for the team is best for Jason,” said Torre, who plans to start Giambi at first tonight. “He wants to play first base, but we have never had a disagreement.”
Last year Giambi hit .294 with 25 homers and 66 RBIs as a first baseman compared to .220 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs as a DH.
* Kenny Lofton hasn’t been sent to Tampa yet. Placed on the DL Sunday with a strained right quadriceps, he accompanied the Yankees to Chicago and plans to remain with the club at least until Friday, when the Yankees return home. Then it could be off to rehab in Tampa.
* LHP Mark Buehrle (1-0, 3.05) goes for the White Sox tonight. RHP Javier Vazquez (1-1, 3.38) draws RHP Jon Garland (1-0, 3.68) tomorrow night, while RHP Mike Mussina (1-3, 7.52) opposes LHP Scott Schoeneweis (1-1, 2.13) Thursday.