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As Robinson Cano stood on the eighth-floor patio of a hotel in Taiwan last November, he raved about what it meant to see and hear how many fans he had “halfway across the world.” Those devoted fans inspired Cano, who said he would work even harder because he realized how people from distant places were watching him.

Lots of fans were watching Cano and the Yankees on Monday. There were fans from New York, from the Dominican Republic and even some bleary-eyed souls in Taiwan who were wondering if Cano could help push the Yankees past the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, during a disappointing sequence in the eighth inning, Cano helped sabotage the Yankees.

Cano is an excellent player, the best player on the Yankees. He has the sweetest swing on the team, a swing that he perfects in early afternoon sessions with hitting coach Kevin Long. He has the most dependable glove on the team, too, a second baseman who plays with panache and who has a powerful arm that makes other infielders envious.

But Cano, for all of his talents, was the central figure in two plays that hurt the Yankees in Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Rays. After Cano lashed a low liner to third in the eighth, he took one step out of the batter’s box and stopped running. While that can happen to any batter, it shouldn’t happen. It also happens too often with Cano, whether it’s a low liner to third or a slow roller to second.

Once Cano stopped, he was doomed. Elliott Johnson, who isn’t Brooks Robinson, didn’t catch the liner. He dropped it, retrieved it and then made an errant throw to first. But Johnson still managed to get the out when first baseman Carlos Pena moved up the line to collect the ball and tag Cano. Failing to run to first is always a mistake, but Cano’s actions were magnified because he would have been safe if he didn’t hesitate.

“That happens,” said manager Joe Girardi. “Guys think a line drive is caught and they kind of freeze.”

A few minutes later, Cano was in the forefront of another play that exasperated the Yankees. With a runner on second and two outs, Chris Gimenez tapped a grounder to the second base hole. Cano moved toward his left to field the ball, but it somehow trickled under his golden glove. Cano didn’t dive. He stretched for the ball and missed it by a few inches. Cano later said that he felt something in his hip “grab” and that impacted his pursuit of the ball.

“I couldn’t bend over,” Cano told reporters. “It was grabbing.”

While it is difficult to criticize a player who may have injured himself on a play, Cano had to figure out a way to smother that ball, keep it in the infield and prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. Attend any Little League game in any city and, inevitably, you will hear a coach yelling, “Knock it down infielders.” The Yankees wanted Cano to knock the ball down and keep the score tied, 3-3, but he didn’t succeed.

“I thought he was going to get there,” Girardi said. “Unfortunately, he didn’t and that’s why we lost.”

After the game, Cano had an ice pack wrapped around his hip and said he was hopeful that the injury is “nothing bad or anything.” The injury-ravaged Yankees, who saw their lead over the Baltimore Orioles shrink to one game, need Cano back in the lineup as soon as possible. That’s on Tuesday night.

Cano was involved in two dubious plays on Monday, a game he would rather forget. But, as the Yankees chase an American League East title, Cano is a player who is capable of making two dozen plays in September and October that guide them closer to that goal. He knows everyone will be watching, as they were on Monday. It is up to Cano to put on a better show.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

When the Yankees gazed at their schedule last week and noticed that they had six games with the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays, they realized they had a superb opportunity to silence two wobbly teams and strengthen their lead in the American League East. It is politically correct for the superior team to say that the inferior team could win on any given day. But, in sports, politically correct isn’t always correct.

So what happened in those six winnable games? The Yankees played some uninspired baseball and went 3-3 against two struggling teams. After winning two of three against the Indians, the Yankees allowed the Jays to swipe two of three games from them at Yankee Stadium. Included in that series was an 8-5 loss on Wednesday in which CC Sabathia lost two leads and the Yankees made three errors and went 3 for 17 with men in scoring position.

“You got to put it behind you and move on,” said Manager Joe Girardi. “This day is over.”

As Girardi made those remarks, he was perturbed. His voice was stern, his tone was sharp. It was obvious that he realized how precious a chance the Yankees had lost by faltering against the Jays. Instead of maintaining a more comfortable lead in the division, the Yankees have to contend with this once-improbable thought: If the Baltimore Orioles sweep three games this weekend, they will be tied with New York for first place.

When the Yankees woke up on Friday morning, it was the 80th straight day that they had been in sole possession of first. But, because the Yankees didn’t stomp on the Indians and the Jays by going 5-1 or 6-0, they have put themselves in a precarious spot. Besides the Orioles, the pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays are also chasing the Yankees and sit 4 1/2 games out of first. Across the next 10 days, the Yankees will play the Orioles six times and the Rays four times.

“We need to play better,” said Sabathia. “We haven’t played well. It starts with me.”

Sabathia was candid in taking the blame for Wednesday’s loss, but he has some teammates who could say the same thing. The Yankees didn’t have to feel this uneasy, but a mediocre week has created those feelings. Now the Yankees have to revive themselves, but it’s not against the Indians and the Jays anymore. It’s against the two teams that could nudge the Yankees out of first.

While I focused on the Yankees going 3-3 in the last week, they have actually been a .500 team for more than a month. In their last 32 games, the Yankees are 16-16. Yes, they have endured a spate of injuries, but they have too much talent to play .500 for that long. For the next 10 games and beyond, the Yankees have to prove that.

Derek Jeter sat about three feet away from me and we were the only two people on the private plane, which was the perfect setting for an interview. For as long as it took us to travel from Tampa to New York, Jeter couldn’t escape my questions. Actually, that was our plan since we were collaborating on a book more than a decade ago.

I learned a lot about Jeter on that day, about his family and his friends and what motivates him. But, whenever I tried to get Jeter to speak in specifics about the future, he didn’t bite. He just wanted to keep on playing baseball for the Yankees. Discussing specific career goals, the type of chatter that thrills fans and interests sportswriters, didn’t interest Jeter. He was worried about the next game. That’s it.

As Jeter has compiled a renaissance season as a hitter in 2012, I’ve thought about that interview on the plane. Part of Jeter’s success as a player is his ability to simplify things. On the field, Jeter has the innate ability to slow the game down. Off the field, Jeter has the impressive ability to ignore distractions and focus on the next pitch, the next play and the next game.

Before Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox, Jeter led the Major Leagues with 167 hits and was on pace for 222 hits this season, which would be a career high. Jeter has 3,255 hits, which is tied with Eddie Murray for 11^th place on the all-time hit list. Willie Mays, who had 3,283 hits, is Jeter’s next target. Jeter is chasing and passing baseball royalty.

At the age of 38 and now playing his 17^th full season, Jeter is playing as well as at any point in his career. Across Jeter’s last 45 games, he is batting .368. He has played in 18 straight games, ignoring the valid notion that a soon-to-be 40-year old could use a rest in August. When I mentioned to Jeter that he hasn’t had a day off in a while, he said, “Wouldn’t be the first time.” And then Jeter ran on to the field to field some grounders.

Because Jeter is performing like the Energizer Bunny of shortstops, there has been speculation about whether he could reach 4,000 hits or if he could even challenge Pete Rose’s record of 4,256. Both of those elusive goals are a long way off. If Jeter finished this season with 3,300 hits, he would need to average 175 hits for the next four seasons to reach 4,000. Jeter is signed through 2013 and has a player option for 2014, which he will surely exercise.

But, rather than focus on the sexy topic of 4,000 hits or the even sexier subject of 4,257 hits, I think there should be some attention on another number: four. There is a very realistic possibility that Jeter will, at the very least, end up with the fourth most hits in history. Let’s stick with 3,300 as Jeter’s hit total after this season. He would need to notch 331 hits in 2013 and 2014 to reach 3,631 and surpass Stan Musial for fourth place, behind Rose, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron. If Jeter avoids injuries and plays full seasons in 2013 and 2014, he is bound to average at least 165.5 hits a year.

So, while it is fascinating to wonder if Jeter can hunt down Rose, it is a lot more realistic to theorize that he can overtake Musial and put himself in a very special place. Obviously, it would be beyond incredible if Jeter made a run at 4,000 hits or the Hit King. But it would also be incredible and much more probable for Jeter to vault himself behind three of the greatest hitters ever. That pursuit continues with Jeter’s next at-bat, which is as far into the future as he will stare.      

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Hiroki Kuroda is a vision of tranquility on the mound. He never seems unnerved and never seems overwhelmed. Pitch after pitch, and inning after inning, Kuroda keeps pushing forward, doing whatever he needs to do to help the Yankees win.

That calm, determined approach was exhibited as Kuroda fashioned a two-hitter and tamed the Texas Rangers, 3-0, on Tuesday night. The Rangers have scored the most runs in the Major Leagues, but, through nine nearly flawless innings, Kuroda baffled them with his sinking fastball and a nasty slider.

“Probably our best pitching performance of the year,” said manager Joe Girardi.

While Kuroda’s dazzling outing helped give the Yankees an important victory in August, it surely caused them to wonder what it might mean in October, too. If Kuroda can dominate the Rangers, then he should conceivably be able to handle any other lineup because no team has been as powerful. So, on a warm August night, the Yankees could be excused for pondering what Kuroda’s potential impact could be on some cool October nights.

As long as CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte return from the disabled list and don’t have additional injury issues, they would join Kuroda as New York’s first three postseason pitchers. The Yankees would start Sabathia, their ace, in the opener and would probably follow with Kuroda and Pettitte. Aligning the pitchers like that would enable Girardi to split up Sabathia and Pettitte, his two left-handed starters.

After watching Kuroda operate efficiently against the Rangers, I think he should be a significant force in the postseason. Kuroda has four quality pitches with a sinker, a slider, a curveball and a split-finger fastball, and he usually spots all of them with precision. When Kuroda’s four pitches are working, catcher Russell Martin said he has “perfect game stuff.”

That was nearly the case at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, even though Kuroda mostly relied on his sinker and slider. Across six innings, Kuroda held the Rangers without a hit. Elvis Andrus had an infield single to start the seventh and end Kuroda’s no-hit bid, but Kuroda stranded Andrus at third. That was the only Ranger that made it beyond first. Of Kuroda’s 27 outs, 17 were generated on the ground. He has a 1.44 ERA in his last six starts.

But, beyond those glossy statistics, here is why I think Kuroda could be so important in the postseason. He frustrated some excellent hitters. The Rangers barely had any decent swings off Kuroda, who is smart enough to read hitters and adept enough to pinpoint his pitches. When Kuroda whiffed Nelson Cruz with a slider in the second, Cruz swung as if he expected a fastball. When Kuroda struck out Josh Hamilton with a splitter in the fourth, Hamilton unleashed an awful hack. When Kuroda got Adrian Beltre to wave at a slider in the seventh, the pitch had cutting action away from the right-handed batter.

Unlike so many pitchers, Kuroda hasn’t had difficulty transitioning from the softer-hitting National League to the American League. He is 11-8 with a 3.06 ERA and 6.85 walks and 2.15 walks per nine innings, strikingly similar statistics to what he did with the Los Angeles Dodgers a year ago (13-16, 3.07 ERA, 7.17 strikeouts, 2.18 walks). Kuroda has thrown at least seven scoreless innings in six starts, something no other Major Leaguer has done.

How will Kuroda perform in October? There’s no reason to believe that this smart and precise pitcher will suddenly falter. Like other Japanese players, Kuroda is obsessed with focusing on the team over the individual. Still, for the team to succeed, individuals like Kuroda must flourish. Kuroda knows that. He will keep pushing forward, staying calm all the way to October.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

As the baseball clock crept closer to Tuesday's 4 P.M. non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees were taking calls and making calls and trying to improve themselves. Before the deadline, the Yankees acquired infielder Casey McGehee and $250,000 from the Pirates for reliever Chad Qualls. Since Qualls was likely to be jettisoned once Joba Chamberlain was activated, the Yankees added a potentially useful player for a player who wasn't going to be with them much longer.

While the Yankees also spoke to the Cubs about pitcher Ryan Dempster, one club official said that those discussions weren't very serious. The Yankees might have been interested in adding Dempster if they could have obtained him for a modest price. In the end, the Cubs dealt Dempster to the Rangers for two minor leaguers. With Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz both out for the rest of the season, the Rangers were desperate to add another starting pitcher.

The Yankees weren't necessarily desperate for another hitter, but they were definitely intrigued by McGehee. McGehee was hitting .230 with eight homers and 35 runs batted in for the Pirates this season. But McGehee is also a player who hit 23 homers as recently as 2010. Although McGee was hitting .207 with runners in scoring position this season, he is batting .285 in that department in his career. Willie Randolph, the former Yankee who coached McGehee with the Brewers, called him a solid situational hitter.

"He's a line drive hitter and he hits the ball to all fields," Randolph said. "He's not a swing and miss guy. You can hit and run with him. He's a good guy to have at the plate."

Randolph described McGehee as a "tough grinder" and a player who "has an edge to him." Defensively, Randolph said McGehee will make the routine plays at first and third, but that he had limited range. McGehee mostly played first for the Pirates.

"He will be ready to play," Randolph said. "He's a tough kid. He will fit in well with the Yankees."

Eight days before the deadline, the Yankees made a splashier move when they acquired Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners for minor league pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. Entering Tuesday night's game, Suzuki had hits in his first seven games with the Yankees and was batting .259. Manager Joe Girardi said he believes Suzuki will be a stellar player for the Yankees, filling the void left by Brett Gardner's absence.

As the Yankees surveyed the trade market, they factored in the injured players who they expect to return this season. Chamberlain was activated on Tuesday and gives Girardi more flexibility in the bullpen because he can retire right-handed and left-handed batters. In addition, the Yankees expect Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez to return in September. Until then, the Yankees will plow ahead with a roster that was slightly revised when they added McGehee.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES