New York had a brief glimpse into the future as twenty year old rookie phenom Phil Hughes took the mound to make his Major League debut against the Toronto Blue Jays. In a questionable move by the organization to sidestep the planned development course of baseball’s number one pitching prospect, the call-up came as an inevitable move with the Yankees current injury plagued rotation. Following a successful 2006 season split between single and double A, where he compiled a 12-6 record with a 2.16 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 148 innings, the first round pick (23rd overall) in the 2004 draft got the call from AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre after posting a 2-1 record with a 3.34 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.

The expectations were high, but Hughes failed to deliver a much needed win, surrendering 4 earned runs on 7 hits over 4.1 innings of work. After a shaky first inning where he gave up 2 runs on 27 pitches, Hughes settled in nicely to show flashes of his potential, striking out five, including Matt Lind three times. Whether the first inning jitters cost him the start or not, Yankees fans showed their appreciation for the effort as he walked off the mound in the fifth inning. Hughes may have had his moments, but the end result left the Yankees with their sixth straight loss as they failed to score a run for the first time this season, getting shutout by AJ Burnett and the Blue Jays bullpen. Phil Hughes will make his second career start in Texas on Tuesday and all eyes will look for the rookie to be the answer to the Yankees early season struggles.

(5 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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