Cano calms Pineda as he begins first day as a NY Yankee
TAMPA — Michael Pineda was talking to Robinson Cano recently and he admitted to his friend that he was feeling somewhat overwhelmed about being traded to the Yankees and the prospect of playing for the big team in the big city.
Cano calmed him instantly, Pineda said. “My head is (spinning) because I’ve never stayed in New York,” Pineda said he told Cano.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry man, I’ll take care of you.’ ”
Pineda, 23, showed up at the Yankees’ minor-league complex on Tuesday, the first time he has donned Yankee garb for a workout since the January swap that sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Pineda and prospect Jose Campos. Whatever uneasy feelings Pineda had are clearly gone now. He gabbed with a group of reporters for about 10 minutes, laughing and smiling easily after running a set of sprints in bright sunshine with several other pitchers.
“It’s my first day and I’m excited because it’s my first time practicing with the New York Yankees,” Pineda said. “I came early because it’s my first time living in Tampa and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
At one point, Pineda said he was self-conscious about speaking English, but he was easily understood and cracked several jokes. He had a low-key throwing session — nothing more than a game of catch — and when someone asked how his fastball was, he replied with a grin, “About 65 (miles per hour).”
He talked briefly about his love for fishing and how he enjoys cooking, too. “Dominican food,” he said of his culinary expertise. “I’m a Dominican guy.”
Pineda and Cano became fast friends beginning last season, the pitcher said. When the Yankees traveled to Seattle, Cano praised Pineda for his stellar year. “He said, ‘Hey, you’re a good guy, man, you’re pitching great. Keep your focus all the time,’ ” Pineda recalled. “He’s talking to me because I’m a young guy.
“At the All-Star Game, he was talking to me a lot, too. He said, ‘I’m very excited for you, your first year in the major leagues, to play in the All-Star Game. That’s beautiful, you know.”
“I love this guy,” Pineda added. “He’s my friend.”
Pineda also says he’s looking forward to watching CC Sabathia. While the pitchers throw with opposite hands — Pineda is a righty — he and Sabathia share something: both are 6-foot-7. “He’s (big),” Pineda said. “I want to learn from him and I want to say hi because he’s a great pitcher.”
Even though the Pineda family has had about a month in the Dominican Republic to digest the trade, the pitcher and his relatives are still thrilled — Pineda said his mother has a lot of family in New York. “She’s never come to America,” Pineda said. “This year is the first time. Now she’s coming to New York, she’s excited. Everybody is excited.”
Like any pitcher coming into camp, Pineda has parts of his game he wants to sharpen. For him, it’s his two-seam fastball and his changeup. “I’m focusing a little more on that,” he said.
He would also like to avoid what happened to him last season, when he sagged after a terrific first half. Before the All-Star break, Pineda was 8-6 with a 3.03 ERA; afterward, he went 1-4 with a 5.12 ERA.
“I don’t know,” he replied when asked about the difference. “First half, my arm was strong and I was feeling great and the second half, I’m feeling a little tired. The other teams know me. It’s a long season.”
But Pineda is set to start his next one, in a new uniform, now.
“I’m ready to go,” Pineda said.
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