Remembering The Henn House
by Mike Ashmore

Before he got to call "The House That Ruth Built" home, he tried to turn Trenton's Waterfront Park into "The Henn House."

So maybe Sean Henn won't be getting a street outside the ballpark named after him any time soon, but few Thunder alumni are making a bigger impact in the big leagues this year.

The current Yankees reliever returned to Trenton in 2005 after making 27 starts for the team the previous year.

The Fort Worth, Tx. native got out to a hot start, going 2-1 with an 0.71 ERA in his first four starts. Those numbers caught the attention of the Yankees, and Henn found out he'd be making a spot start in either Triple-A Columbus or for the New York Yankees.

"I don't know the last time a pitcher got called up out of Double-A in this organization," he said.

"I knew I was throwing well, but there were also five other guys in Columbus at the time that were doing their thing too."

Henn had yet to throw a Triple-A pitch at the time, so he had no expectations of going straight to the big leagues.

"When the news came, I was told, 'You're not starting today, but they need a spot in Columbus or New York,' but I thought New York was a longshot," he said.

"So when they finally told me, it was definitely overwhelming, but exciting at the same time."

Unfortunately for Henn, he looked overwhelmed on the mound as well, lasting just two and a third innings in his Major League debut against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After two more unsuccessful starts, questions were raised as to whether he was rushed to the big leagues before he was ready.

"I was going after guys, my confidence level was through the roof," he said.

"I felt like I was ready to go. I'd never pitched in the big leagues before, but once I got out here and looked at these Major League hitters and how to approach them in different ways, I saw that there was a lot I'd have to learn to be successful. Throwing offspeed pitches when you're behind in the count, things like that. I felt I was ready, but I don't know if I showed that."

But Henn's confidence recovered, and he posted a 3-1 record mostly as a reliever in Triple-A in 2006, earning a September call-up and another chance to show what he could do in Yankee pinstripes.

The Thunder alum made the Yankees out of Spring Training this year, and credits his teammates and pitching coach Ron "Gator" Guidry for making him a regular on the staff.

"Just talking to a lot of the great guys in the clubhouse and also to "Gator" about certain situations and how to attack guys and what to look for and things like that, it's helped a lot," Henn said, sitting at his Yankee Stadium locker.

But even with his current success at the Major League level, the 26-year-old will never forget where he was when the course of his career changed forever.

"I loved it in Trenton," he said. "It's a great park, the fans were always there. It was a great atmosphere to play in."

Contact Mike: mashmore@patriotsbaseball.com

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