NEW YORK (AP) – Randy Johnson threw a bullpen session Wednesday afternoon and Yankees manager Joe Torre said the left-hander is set to start Game 3 of the AL division series in Detroit on Friday night.
Johnson has a herniated disc in his back that required him to get an epidural shot last Friday. He threw in the outfield grass Saturday and then had a bullpen session the next day.
Torre said he threw 30-35 pitches about eight hours before the Yankees hosted the Tigers in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
“Everything seemed fine,” Torre said. “He’s ready to go.”
Johnson, who departed for Detroit after the bullpen session, last pitched on Sept. 23. He gave up five runs and seven hits over six innings in an 8-0 loss at Tampa Bay.
The Big Unit was 17-11 with a career-high 5.00 ERA in 33 starts this season. His lower back stiffness began in September and increased throughout the month.
Johnson hasn’t had much success in the division series, going 2-7 with a 4.59 ERA in 11 career starts. He is scheduled to face Tigers lefty Kenny Rogers, who hasn’t fared much better with an 0-1 record and a 7.04 ERA in four career division series games.
Tigers-Yanks rained out
The second game of the AL playoff series between Detroit and the New York Yankees was postponed because of rain Wednesday night. The game never started and even though it did not rain hard, threatening weather was in the forecast.
Game 2 will be played today at 1:09 p.m.
The game was scheduled to start at 8:09 p.m. Shortly after the national anthem, the teams went back to their clubhouses, and the tarp was put over the infield even though it wasn’t raining.
A light rain began at 8:24 p.m., and it rained off and on until the grounds crew removed the tarp at about 9:40 p.m. During the regular season, games usually continue through rain of that magnitude.
The grounds crew removed the tarp at 9:37 p.m., and Verlander went to the outfield to start throwing.
But at 9:55 p.m., even though it wasn’t raining, the grounds crew put the tarp back on.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.