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Cano
Perfect In Trenton
by Mike Ashmore
August 10, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat
Now that's how you make a rehab appearance.
New York Yankees All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano
returned to his familiar stomping grounds at Waterfront Park
for the weekend, a move that reunited him with his former
manager, Bill Masse.
"For all the bad things you hear about baseball with
the steroids and the black marks on the game, Robby Cano is
what's good about baseball," Masse said. "He loves
to have fun and he's always got a smile on his face."
Smiles were commonplace for the 6,765 fans who packed the
house to see him, swarming the superstar for autographs and
carrying signs to welcome him back to where he proved
himself in 2003 and 2004.
"I love Trenton," Cano said before the game.
"I remember back in 2003 when I came here for my first
game, it was in the second half. That's something I'm always
going to remember, my first day."
For his current Thunder teammates, this was the fifth Yankee
who's rehabbed in Trenton this season, so forgive them if
the atmosphere was a bit more subdued than you might expect
in the clubhouse.
"It should be good," said Thunder reliever Scott
Patterson. "It should be good to watch him play, I'm
anxious to watch him play, I guess. That's about it. I might
say hi to him."
Phil Hughes, the number one pitching prospect on the planet,
echoed similar sentiments.
"He's just getting his work in, he's just like any of
the other rehab guys," Hughes said. "Hopefully it
goes well, and hopefully he gets back to the big leagues
soon."
After the clinic he put on for seven innings on Friday
night, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was ready
for Yankee pinstripes as soon as possible.
Batting second in the lineup and playing second base, Cano
went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a
four-pitch walk. Bowie Baysox left fielder Jeff Fiorentino
nearly spoiled his perfect return with a diving catch in the
second inning, but the ball popped out of his glove and Cano
was standing safely on first base, driving in outfielder
Matt Carson in the process.
One batter later, and Cano was crossing home plate, courtesy
of a missile to right field off the bat of first baseman
Randy Ruiz.
Cano singled to center field in the fifth, then left the
game to a standing ovation after a seventh inning double
with nobody on base.
"Right now, I feel ready to go back (to New York) and
play," he said. "I want to go back as soon as
possible and help my team. Right now, I feel good."
Of the four other players to rehab with the Thunder this
season, none of them are helping the Yankees right now.
Octavio Dotel and Carl Pavano have yet to step on a big
league mound since their stops in Trenton, and Shawn Chacon
was traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline. Gary Sheffield
returned to New York for only a week before ultimately
opting for surgery and a September return.
While the Thunder were playing Bowie, the Double-A affiliate
of the Orioles in Trenton, the Yankees were playing the
Orioles in Baltimore. With a payroll of nearly $200 million,
New York was relying on little-known Miguel Cairo to play
second base for them in Cano's absence. With the Yankees in
the thick of both the division and wild-card playoff races,
his slow recovery from a hamstring injury has been all the
more difficult for Cano.
"It's been very frustrating," he said. "You
watch the games, and they need you. They're losing some
games, and you know you can help them, but you can't
play."
But at least for one night, it looked like there wasn't
anything the 23-year-old couldn't do.
"It was perfect," he said.
Around the Eastern League: The Mets assigned pitcher
Philip Humber to Binghamton, giving the B-Mets the #3
prospect in the organization according to Baseball
America. The third overall pick in the 2004 draft,
Humber blew out his elbow during his only game with
Binghamton last season, requiring Tommy John surgery and
delaying his next Double-A appearance a whopping 377
days...The Mets top prospect, Lastings Milledge, played for
Binghamton last season, and their number two prospect, Mike
Pelfrey, was called up to the big leagues out of Double-A
earlier this year...Also, the Mets called up 37-year-old
catcher Mike DiFelice up to the show after he started his
season as a B-Met.
"I'm hoping the reason why I'm here is if there's an
injury or something like that, I'd be able to walk in there
and fill that role," said DiFelice in July.
Contact Mike: mashmore@mikeashmore.com
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