Sterling Hitchcock Starting Pitcher New York Yankees Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L Sv K ERA 3 2 1 0 15 3.32

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees weren't actively seeking to add a starting pitcher before Tuesday's trade deadline. But they couldn't turn down Sterling Hitchcock.

The Yankees boosted their starting rotation Monday, acquiring one of the top pitchers on the market from the San Diego Padres for minor leaguers Brett Jodie and Darren Blakely.

"I like our club a lot," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I said if the right deal presented itself, we would do it. This upgrades the one area that might be a question mark to some degree with two rookies at the back end of the rotation."

The Yankees felt uncomfortable going down the stretch with rookies Ted Lilly and Randy Keisler in the rotation. Manager Joe Torre had grown increasingly frustrated with Keisler's inconsistency, helping prompt the deal.

Hitchcock arrived in New York on Tuesday and could start Wednesday against Texas. Keisler was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday to make room for Hitchcock.

"Ted Lilly and Randy Keisler have done a tremendous job for us," Cashman said. "They have grown and will continue to grow. Hopefully, in the near future they will become monsters for us and mainstays in the rotation for years to come."

But with the Red Sox only 3½ games behind in the AL East, the Yankees weren't willing to take that chance this season.

Keisler was 1-2 with a 6.22 ERA in 10 starts. He allowed 12 home runs in 50 2/3 innings and hadn't gone more than six innings since being recalled from Columbus on June 13.

"It didn't have as much to do with (Keisler) as it had to do with adding a veteran to the back end of the rotation," Cashman said.

The Yankees expect to bring Keisler back in September when the rosters expand, but for now it was important to add experience to a rotation that had two rookies -- Lilly the other.

Cashman said Saturday's groin injury to Roger Clemens played a role in his decision, even though Cashman doesn't expect Clemens to miss a start.

Orlando Hernandez is also out until September -- if he falters, Hitchcock could become the Yankees' fourth starter in the postseason.

"We are an injury away from having three rookies in rotation," Cashman said. "That gave me pause for concern."

Hitchcock, who spent parts of four seasons with the Yankees, has made only three starts this season in his comeback from reconstructive elbow surgery. He went 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings.

"It feels great," Hitchcock said. "It's kind of a new lease on pitching. You take your car in to get a tuneup at 50,000 miles. That's what I feel like at this point. My arm strength is coming along now. It hasn't been in better shape."

The three-time defending World Series champion Yankees have the second-best record in the majors at 64-41. The Red Sox also were interested in acquiring Hitchcock.

The Yankees increased their payroll to a record $115,311,443, but will shed $200,000 on Tuesday, when they are expected to option Keisler to Triple-A Columbus. Boston is second in payroll at $108,156,480 and Los Angeles is third at $106,492,287.

Cashman couldn't make the move until getting approval from owner George Steinbrenner.

"The Boss is hands on," Cashman said. "I have to run everything I want to do past him. I brought up the part of payroll we were taking on, the players we were losing and our current evaluation of Sterling Hitchcock."

Hitchcock was traded from the Yankees to Seattle after the 1995 season in the deal for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson. Hitchcock won 13 games in his only season with the Mariners before being sent to San Diego.

The Yankees won four World Series in the next five years, including in 1998 against Hitchcock and the Padres.

"I certainly left there at a bad time," he said. "The opportunity to come back is wonderful."

Hitchcock has playoff experience, going 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA for the Padres in 1998, winning the NLCS MVP that year.

The Padres now have only two players left from the 1998 team -- Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman -- and Gwynn will retire at the end of this season.

"Everybody talks about Kevin Brown and his contributions in 1998, but Hitch helped put a lot of rings on our fingers here," GM Kevin Towers said. "Without him, we wouldn't have gotten to the World Series."

Hitchcock is making $5 million in the final season of a $15.5 million, three-year contract and is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

The Yankees will pay Hitchcock about $1.69 million for the remainder of the season. They will also pay $750,000 of the $1 million signing bonus Hitchcock will receive Wednesday, according to two baseball sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified.

"The one thing we're trying to do is manage our payroll this year," Towers said. "We're trying to be responsible. We set our budget at $37 million, and we plan on being at $37 million at the end of the year. What this does is it allows us to get a little under that. At least for this year, we don't have to move any more salary if we don't want to."

Rookie right-hander Brian Lawrence was recalled from Triple-A Portland by the Padres and started Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs. Lawrence was 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 15 games, including three starts, in three previous stints with the Padres this year.

Jodie made one start for the Yankees this season, allowing six runs in two innings of a loss to Toronto. The right-hander, 24, was 10-4 with a 2.87 ERA at Triple-A Columbus.

Blakely, 24, was hitting .258 with 12 homers and 41 RBI for Class-A Tampa and Double-A Norwich. The Yankees originally acquired him in March from Anaheim in a trade for Glenallen Hill.