New York Yankees Phil Hughes admitted his physical condition was not at best last year with several pounds overweight, and he has been putting effort to improve this season. He arrived at spring training in much better condition, hitting 93 mph with his fastball Tuesday.
"For me, last year was a failure and I didn't want to do that again,'' he said, "so I made sure I had no excuses coming into spring. I was ready to go. I was strong. It's all on me. At the end of the day, I have to want it.''
"There's a concern," Manager Joe Girardi said in an unusually candid analysis of a player. "The thing is, I've seen him work very hard before. It does question where their mind-set is. You know, 'Where's your mind-set?' "
"There's a concern," Manager Joe Girardi said in an unusually candid analysis of a player. "The thing is, I've seen him work very hard before. It does question where their mind-set is. You know, 'Where's your mind-set?' "
"One hundred would be nice," Hughes said. "I'd take it. But to be successful, 92, 93 would be nice. Obviously, the first time in spring, I'm not expecting 100 percent in-season velocity. Just to have some life on the FB, see some swings and misses, some late foul balls, maybe would be nice. That would be a good thing for me right now."
Hughes made two runs and four hits in the New York Yankees' 7-4 loss to the Pittsburg Pirates Bradenton.
