Hughes: I've Never Thrown 95 MPH

So with all the talk about Hughes' fastball, here's a word on it from the man himself.

From George King (hat tip to Steve Lombardi)

"I never threw that hard, even when I was going good at Trenton (Double-A), I looked at the reports and it was 93. There were three times all year I touched 95,"

"It all comes back to command, command, command," Hughes said. "It all stems from the command of the fastball. You have to make them put the ball in play, use two or three pitches."

As for the slow start, Hughes pointed to the calendar.

"It's early, if it's August and I am having the same problems I probably wouldn't be here," Hughes said. "I have to pitch well and everything else will take care of itself."

Peter Abraham thinks that if Hughes is struggling by May, not August, he could be headed for Scranton:

That could be the case in May if Hughes doesn't start to show some improvement. With right-hander Darrell Rasner (3-0, 0.72) pitching well for Triple-A Scranton, the Yankees have other options.

Hughes also had these comments for Abraham regarding his previous start:

"If I get through that sixth inning, it's a completely different ballgame," he said. "I did a better job of getting ahead in the count, but once I got ahead in the count I was throwing too many pitches.

"Make them put the ball in play in two or three pitches. That keeps your offense clicking, too, quick innings. If you're out there too long it gets kind of stagnant."

Well he certainly sounds like he understands how to pitch. I really think his issues this season have all been command issues, and as soon as he fixes them we'll see the Phil Hughes we saw last September.

Tonight's a big start for him, if only to shut up the critics for a week. Peter Gammons had an article on his blog about how much different it is for young pitchers to develop in New York and Boston, than in a place like Toronto or Chicago. Here were two quotes from the article that I think Yankees fans need to see:

"It is totally different for those four kids (Hughes, Kennedy, Lester, Buchholz), who are dealing with inordinate pressure," says one GM. "It's really tough. All four should be good major league pitchers; Hughes, Lester and Buchholz should all be top-of-the-rotation starters. But there will be growing pains. But any of them that survive this should be really good."

"It's been clear that Hughes is trying too hard," says one scout. "When he pitched in the playoffs last year [against Cleveland], he just let it fly. But right now he's muscling up and overthrowing, and he isn't what he can and will be."

Just let it fly Phil, let it fly.