 10/12/2003 10:01 PM ET
Yankees rotation changes gears
Mussina goes in Game 4; Wells to pitch Game 5
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By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com
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• Mussina won't change approach
BOSTON -- The Yankees flip-flopped starting pitchers for Games 4 and 5 of the American League Championship Series as a result of Sunday night's rainout, as Mike Mussina will get the nod when New York and Boston meet Monday night.
David Wells was scheduled to pitch in Game 4 on Sunday, while Mussina was set to go on
Monday in Game 5 at Fenway Park. Game 4 will now be played Monday at 8 p.m. ET, and Mussina will pitch on the day originally planned.
Manager Joe Torre said the switch was made to allow Mussina to pitch on his regular four
days rest. Torre also said Wells had gotten himself immersed in his pre-start routine on
Sunday, so he wanted to give the left-hander a day to bring himself down before going out for
his start.
"A lot of it was keeping Moose on his day," Torre said. "He's more of a control guy, and he
seems to be comfortable with five days."
David Wells
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Torre said that Wells had no problem with the decision to move him back to Tuesday. The
rescheduled Game 5 has a 4 p.m. start time.
"Boomer got so close to getting ready for the game, I'd just as soon have him back off and
then get back up," Torre said. "He was stalking around here. He'll be ready for Tuesday."
Torre said that he was not surprised that the game was rained out, as he walked the field
shortly before the decision was made.
"It was wet, and there were some bad spots in the outfield," Torre said. "It only takes one spot
for somebody to get hurt. I have no problem with what they did. I thought they could have
called it earlier."
The postponement will give the two teams an extra day to allow the emotions of Game 3 to
settle down, though Torre believes that the Yankees were focused and prepared.
"We were ready to play," Torre said. "We weren't looking to do anything other than hopefully
run our winning streak to three games. It's a letdown, but we'll be back tomorrow."
Derek Jeter / SS
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Derek Jeter said that he would have liked to have played on Sunday, adding that the
postponement doesn't give either team an advantage. The Yankees captain also said that the
extra day wouldn't do much to quell the intensity of the rivalry.
"It's always emotional," Jeter said. "We could have 10 days between games here and it would
be emotional the next time we play. I don't think it has any effect."
Mark Feinsand is a reporter for
MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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