AL Leiter puts on pinstripes

[RLA68]

ESPN.Com
BOSTON -- The New York Yankees acquired left-hander Al Leiter from the Florida Marlins and scheduled him to start Sunday's series finale against the Boston Red Sox.

Details of the trade were expected to be announced after Saturday's game.

"He's a competitor -- like that Game 5 start in the [2000] World Series," manager Joe Torre said before the deal was final. "The most intriguing part is the experience and New York. You hope to catch lightning in a bottle."

The Yankees are desperate for pitching help with four starters on the disabled list. Torre said Kevin Brown, who has been on the DL since June 16 with a back strain, will return to start on Monday.

The Marlins designated Leiter for assignment on Thursday after he went 3-7 with a 6.64 ERA this season. He is due to make $8 million this year despite struggling to pitch like he did in his first stint with the team, when he won 27 games and helped the Marlins with the 1997 World Series.

Leiter, 39, started his career with the Yankees but was traded to Toronto in 1989. He signed with the Marlins as a free agent before the '96 season and threw Florida's first no-hitter that year, but he was traded to the Mets during the Marlins' post-World Series payroll purge.

Leiter won a career-best 17 games for the Mets in 1998 and pitched a two-hit shutout against Cincinnati to clinch the NL wild card in 1999. With the Mets bullpen depleted in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series against the Yankees, he went 8 2/3 innings before running out of gas and losing 4-2.

Leiter was 10-8 with a 3.21 ERA for the Mets last season. He is 158-127 with a 3.76 ERA in his career and 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 17 career postseason games.

New York has been searching for a starter because Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright are all on the disabled list. Chien-Ming Wang joined them there on Thursday, a day before he was scheduled to start against Boston, with inflammation in his right shoulder.

The Yankees called up Tim Redding from Triple-A Columbus to start Friday night's game and he gave up six runs in one-plus inning -- the shortest start for New York this season.

Brown started the season on the DL because of a back strain, was activated April 17 and went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA.

[Saber]

Al Leiter's problem isn't his age, but his shoulder. He played through a lot of pain last year, and the Marlins knew they were taking a massive risk this year on him. At this point, the capsule of his shoulder must be in shreds. He walked 60 men in 80 innings. He just can't control where the ball is going. I hope he makes the decision to quit and become an announcer.

[RLA68]

He was awesome tonight in Boston vs the top offense in baseball.

I don't expect perfection but if he can pitch competitively, he will be successful.

[love_that_reefer]

Leiter had a season high eight strikeouts tonight. He pitched very well to get the Yanks 1/2 game from the lead.