I know it's been awhile and a lot else has happened since the 2005 season, but the Yankees streak of consecutive postseason appearances was at 10 straight back then. On July 20th, the Yankees were in a dog fight with the Boston Red Sox for the division, and the Minnesota Twins for the Wild Card. The Yankees didn't have much starting pitching after Randy Johnson that season. Mike Mussina wasn't his usual self, and Jaret Wright along with Kevin Brown were injured off and on, and when they were healthy, they were rather ineffective. With that in mind, the Yankees had to make a move, or else the Yankees consecutive postseason appearances would be in major jeopardy.
The first move the Yankees made was calling up journey man named Aaron Small from the minors. Small was essentially a minor league pitcher, and when he pitched in the majors he wasn't that effective. He made stops in Toronto, Florida, Oakland, Arizona, then took a few years off, then Atlanta in 2002, and in 2004 he went back to Florida. But on July 20, 2005, he made his debut with the Yankees going 5.1 innings at Texas, allowing three in an 8-4 win. And from then on, he flourished. Small pitched in 15 games for the Yankees, nine starts, compiling a perfect 10-0 record with a 3.20 ERA. But he pitched his best in September, winning five of his ten games, which includes a complete game shutout against the Oakland A's. He allowed just five hits in that outing, while striking out three and walking a pair. Small didn't really throw that hard, he just hit his spots and changed speeds. The Yankees got more than lightning in a bottle with Aaron Small.
The second half of this ticket to the 2005 postseason was righthander Shawn Chacon. Chacon was in Colorado before being traded, and he wasn't that awful, at least that's what I think. He was 1-7 with a respectable 4.09 ERA. And remember, this was pre-humidor, so balls were still flying out of Coors at a rapid rate. The Yankees needed another starting pitcher, so they gave up now current Giants' reliever Ramon Ramirez and Edwardo Sierra. And like small, Chacon flourished. He went 7-3 the rest of the way for the Yankees with a 2.85 ERA. Chacon really changed scenery by going to New York from Colorado, so a first impression is key. He proved he belonged as he went six innings, allowing one unearned run against the Los Angeles Angels, a team who always seemed to hit Yankee pitching no matter who is on the mound. And in his 12 starts he made, nine were quality starts. That is very impressive, considering it being late in the season when he arrived and the bullpen was taxed before the trade was made. The Yankees could really count on him every fifth day to go deep in the ball game. Chacon also pitched in the postseason for the Yankees against the Angels, going 6.1 innings, allowing two earned. The Yankees would end up winning the game 3-2 to keep their postseason hopes alive.
(in photo: Shawn Chacon)
2005 was a great season for these two hurlers. It's a shame that they couldn't keep it going after their campaign. Aaron Small went 0-3 in three starts for the Yankees in 2006 while having a bloated 8.46 ERA. He hasn't pitched in the majors since, and at 39 years old it is a safe bet that we won't be seeing him in a major league uniform again. The same sort of thing happened to Chacon in 2006. He had a 5-3 record with a 7.00 ERA in 17 games, 11 starts. He got traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle of the season for Craig Wilson. Chacon finished the 2006 season in Pittsburgh and pitched through the 2007 season with the Pirates as well. But, when he went to the Houston Astros, things got ugly. In 15 starts he went 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA. But, the ugly part about his season came in June when he was pulled from the rotation and he attacked General Manager Ed Wade. He was immediately suspended, and hasn't appeared in a major league game since.
(in photo: Aaron Small)Lightning in a bottle is always a surprise, and for Yankee fans, it was a delight to have Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon in our rotation. We salute these to gamers today.
--Jesse Schindler, BYB Guest Writer
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