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I was sitting at Newark Airport, waiting to board a flight to Houston on Sept. 11, 2001. My plan was to interview Barry Bonds, who was having a record-setting season for the San Francisco Giants, and to try and describe who he was. I didn't have an interview officially scheduled with Bonds, so this promised to be a challenging assignment.

As I read a newspaper near Gate 81 in Terminal C that morning, I noticed people standing up and pointing to the television. Their faces were covered in confusion. There was a report that a plane had crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. We were all concerned, all worried. Soon, everyone was standing and staring at that T.V., desperate for details.

My cell phone service was spotty, but I eventually spoke to my brother, Rob, and my sister-in-law, Tracey. They mostly had the same information I had. My wife, Pamela, was on a business trip in Las Vegas so I didn’t want to alarm her so early in the morning. After a few calls and a few dropped calls, my mind tried to deduce how chaotic it must have been in lower Manhattan. Did anyone survive? I had no clue.

When the second plane hit the south tower, we all knew this wasn’t an accident. This was intentional and horrific. I forget how quickly they followed up with an announcement in Newark, but it felt like less than a minute. A calm voice told everyone that the airport was closing and that no flights would be departing. We were advised to exit in orderly fashion.

Surprisingly, I remember that people left in fairly orderly fashion. I don’t remember anyone running, although I’m sure some people did. I walked briskly, dreading over who I knew that would have been working at the towers that day. I walked a little faster and also wondered how I could get home and get to a landline phone to call Pamela. I called a car service company from a pay phone and asked if there were any drivers available at the airport. The company had one available driver. That driver and I shared a depressing 45-minute ride, both of us confused, both of us angry and both of us searching for answers.

We all have personal stories from 9/11, too many painful stories of more than 3,000 lives lost and an untold number of lives that would never be the same. For those who lost husbands and wives, sons and daughters and mothers and fathers, I can only repeat what I’ve said for the last 11 years: my thoughts and prayers are with you as you have to deal with such an unspeakable tragedy.

Several days after 9/11, I interviewed Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, about the resumption of the season. The first post-9/11 sporting event to be played in New York was a Mets-Braves game at Shea Stadium on Sept. 21. Selig asked if I thought New Yorkers were ready to watch baseball again. I told him that I thought they were. Although our world would never be the same again, the return to some semblance of normalcy would be welcomed. So would the diversion that baseball provided, a diversion that stretched until the Yankees lost in Game 7 of the World Series.

There is an 11-year old boarding pass that sits atop my desk, a weathered ticket that I look at every day. That’s the pass that I never used for the flight to Houston on 9/11. It’s a reminder of what happened on that unforgettable day. But I obviously don’t need the reminder. I remember the gory details of that day, just like we all do. The pass will always stay there as a tribute to those innocent people who never made it home.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

The Yankees have tip-toed around the obvious for a few weeks, tip-toed around the notion that they were struggling and allowing the Orioles and the Rays to rumble back into the race in the American League East. As long as the Yankees had a lead, even if it was a dwindling, they could still talk about how they were alone in first place and they were fine. But that changed on Tuesday night.

Once it changed and once the Yankees fell into a first-place tie with the Orioles, Kevin Long, the batting coach, offered a candid assessment of how this free fall has impacted the batters. While hitters are taught to focus on the next pitch or the next at bat, it is natural for them to also wonder about how a once-sturdy lead has disintegrated.

“There’s some pressure, obviously,” Long said. “You get a 10-game lead and it’s down to zero. There’s some added pressure and guys are probably trying to do too much.”

The Yankees are trying to emerge from a drought in which they have gone five straight games without mustering more than six hits in any contest, their worst such stretch since 1990. When players like Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano have excelled, Long has been praised for helping guide them. Now that so many Yankees have faltered, Long must figure out how to spark these slumping hitters.

So what is Long’s solution to erasing the slump? It’s nothing dramatic. Long said the Yankees need to “relax” and “trust their ability.” But, interestingly, Long also stressed that the Yankees, who lead the Major Leagues with 203 home runs, must be more cognizant of playing small ball. They have to push pitchers to deep counts, advance runners and maybe even bunt a little bit, Long said.

“Obviously, we’ve lived on some home runs and that’s been well talked about,” Long said. “But, at times like this, it might be moving a runner. That’s just as important as hitting home runs.” He added, “Sometimes, it’s not about getting a pitch and hitting it over the fence. It’s about grinding out an at bat, maybe walking, trusting your teammates. All that stuff comes into play and, right now, we need it more than ever.”

As the Yankees try to muster any offense, Long said they “might have some guys bunt that you don’t normally see bunt.” That would be surprising strategy since the Yankees have had only 20 sacrifice bunts all season. Giving away outs isn’t the smartest decision for a team that is already having problems scoring runs. In addition, Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki are the only regulars who seem comfortable with bunting. But Long was serious about possibly using the bunt as an offensive tool.

In Tuesday’s game, Alex Cobb whiffed Nick Swisher on a changeup with runners on first and second and no outs. Cano followed by hitting into a double play. Maybe, Long said, the Yankees would ask Swisher to bunt in that situation if it occurred again. But Manager Joe Girardi dismissed that idea.

“That’s not really our approach,” Girardi said. “We’re not the Bronx bunters.”

For 84 straight days, the Yankees were in sole possession of first. But they have lost 25 of their last 44 games and have helped turn the A.L. East into a race where three teams are separated by one and a half games. Long was candid about how much the Yankees have lost and equally candid about how quickly they need to make an about face.

“Again, I think the biggest concern here is we’ve lost our cushion,” Long said. “So we’ve got to turn it around and we’ve got to turn it around in a hurry.”

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

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

Forget about Joba Chamberlain surrendering a homer on the second pitch he threw this season. Ignore that he was clipped for four hits while collecting five outs. Don’t stress about the lack of velocity on his fastball. Instead, focus on how Chamberlain made it back to the mound for the Yankees.

When General Manager Brian Cashman first spoke about Chamberlain’s openly dislocated right ankle last March, he was sullen and called it a “massive” injury. The Yankees knew Chamberlain had seriously injured himself, but they couldn’t predict when he would return. It was a disconcerting day, another day when Chamberlain’s roller coaster of a career had been derailed.

“Keep him in our prayers, because obviously he’s facing a lot right now,” said Cashman, at the time.

Since Chamberlain was already rehabilitating from Tommy John elbow surgery, he knew what it was like to be lonely pitcher that aches to get back to the Major Leagues. While Chamberlain noted that he was a quick healer and vowed that he would return in 2012, the Yankees couldn’t count on his words. Until Chamberlain proved that he was healthy and effective, he would be just another rehabbing player.

That unwanted distinction ended for Chamberlain last Wednesday. He was correct. He is a quick healer. He would pitch again this season. After Chamberlain made his first appearance in 14 months in a 12-3 win over the Orioles, he admitted that he felt like a nervous rookie back in 2007. That is the season when Chamberlain was a superhuman setup man to Mariano Rivera. But in the last five seasons, there has been some hope, more hype, different roles and more heartache for Chamberlain.

Now the Yankees need Chamberlain to be a weapon out of the bullpen again. Rafael Soriano is the closer and David Robertson is the setup man in the eighth inning. If Chamberlain can handle the seventh, he would combine with Robertson and Soriano to give manager Joe Girardi an intimidating threesome across the last three innings of games. If Robertson or Soriano need a day off, Chamberlain could also be summoned in the eighth or the ninth, too.

Although the Yankees have had one of the best bullpens in the American League this season, Girardi explained how Chamberlain’s presence could have help him avoid resorting to so many righty-righty and lefty-lefty matchups. Before Chamberlain was activated, the Yankees had two right-handed specialists in Cody Eppley and Chad Qualls, and two lefty specialists in Clay Rapada and Boone Logan.

Unlike those four pitchers, Chamberlain is a pitcher that Girardi trusts to retire righty and lefty batters. For Chamberlain’s career, his numbers against righties and lefties are remarkably similar. In 808 plate appearances, righties have a .250 average, 20 homers and 190 strikeouts against him. In 833 plate appearances, lefties have the same .250 average, 17 homers and 196 strikeouts versus Chamberlain. David Phelps is versatile enough to face righties and lefties, but he is a long man and can’t be used as often as Chamberlain. So Chamberlain should give Girardi more flexibility.

In a season that was almost a lost one for Chamberlain, he is now a pitcher that can have an impact on the Yankees again. The Yankees would love to see some semblance of the Chamberlain of old, the reliever who burst in from the bullpen with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. But, as the Yankees wait for that type of production, they are also just satisfied to see Chamberlain back on the mound at all.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

There was a time when Ichiro Suzuki was one of the best five players in baseball, someone who was a delight to watch at the plate, on the bases and in the outfield. There aren't many singles hitters who force you to watch every move they make, but Ichiro was that kind of must-see player.

While Ichiro isn't a top-five type player anymore, he can still be a very effective player for the Yankees as they refine their roster and push toward the post-season. By acquiring Ichiro from the Mariners for right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, the Yankees didn't surrender any premier prospects and improved their outfield. In addition, the Yankees will only pay Ichiro $2.25 million for the rest of the season. They believe Ichiro is still worth watching and, of course, still worth having.

When General Manager Brian Cashman surveyed the trade for possible outfield help, he didn't like the hefty pricetags for players like Shane Victorino and Denard Span. Although Justin Upton is a very attractive 24-year old, the Yankees weren't thrilled with the type of package it would take to acquire him, either. Ichiro was available at a modest price so the Yankees were smart to pounce. The acquisition of Ichiro makes them a better team.

By obtaining Ichiro, the Yankees have added a reasonable facsimile of Brett Gardner. Ichiro still plays superb defense and still has excellent speed, traits that the Yankees have lacked in Gardner's absence. Once the Yankees realized Gardner was probably done for 2012 because of his impending elbow surgery, they pushed to add another outfielder. The Yankees are hopeful that Ichiro, who only has a .302 on base percentage since the beginning of the 2011 season, will be reujvenated by playing for a contending team.

Ichiro will mostly play left field, which will allow Manager Joe Girardi to use Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones as a designated hitter platoon. As elated as the Yankees have been about what Ibanez and Jones have done, the Yankees have been concerned about overtaxing the two aging players. Ichiro is 38 years old, but he is used to playing every day. Since Ichiro has been a 10-time Gold Glove outfielder, the shift to left field won't be an issue for him.

As Ichiro discussed becoming a Yankee, he said that he was having a difficult time containing his excitement. Ichiro, who had asked the Mariners for a trade, isn't being asked to be a savior. All the Yankees need Ichiro to do is play strong defense, create some mayhem on the bases and provide some offense and excitement from the bottom of the order. If Ichiro does that, he can prove that he is still worth watching.

Raul Ibanez was a searcher in his first few weeks with the Yankees. He searched for his swing, searched for his timing and searched for a groove, that blissful place where hitters always want to live. Ibanez also searched for some hits. In his first 37 at-bats in Spring Training he managed two hits.

So, on a warm night in Fort Myers, Fla., last March, I asked Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach, if he was concerned about Ibanez’s awful start. At the time, Ibanez was batting .059. I realized those were only spring statistics, which can be meaningless. But .059 was an ugly number for a hitter.

“I know Raul is going to hit for us,” Long said.

Long explained how he wasn’t bothered by Ibanez’s unsightly average because he saw some other encouraging signs. The coach watched Ibanez’s routine in the batting cage and saw a hitter who was prepared. He watched how Ibanez worked at-bats and saw a hitter who was intelligent. He watched the way the ball jumped off Ibanez’s bat, even as Ibanez struggled for hits, and saw a hitter who still had power.

Almost four months after Long expressed supreme confidence in a .059 hitter, I watched Ibanez hammer a grand slam off Jason Frasor to catapult the Yankees past the Blue Jays, 6-3, on Monday night. After Ibanez’s smart and patient at bat, I recalled my conversation with Long. Even as Ibanez sputtered in the spring, Long had seen signs that Ibanez could and would be productive. Long was right.

Ibanez is 40 years old and in his 17th season in the Major Leagues. As I have studied Ibanez’s at-bats this season, I am convinced that he is savvier than most of the pitchers he faces. With the score tied, 2-2, the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning, Ibanez knew that Frasor would surely have to throw him fastballs. Frasor throws fastballs 76 percent of the time, according to Fangraphs.com, and he didn’t want to walk in the go-ahead run.

Not only did Ibanez look for a fastball, he looked for the right fastball. Ibanez didn’t swing at three of the first four pitches, patiently waiting for Frasor to put a pitch in an attractive spot. Once the count moved to 3-1, Ibanez was in a superb position. Frasor had to throw a strike and almost definitely had to throw a fastball. When Frasor threw an inside fastball, Ibanez crushed it. It was a familiar sight to the Yankees. In at-bats after the count reaches 3-1, Ibanez is batting .421 this season.

Of Ibanez’s 12 homers, eight have come in the sixth inning or later and five have given the Yankees a lead. Ibanez has 56 hits, but he has also driven in 40 runs. Although Ibanez’s .242 batting average is modest, he has a .463 slugging percentage.

On the same day the Yankees revealed that left fielder Brett Gardner felt more soreness in his injured right elbow, Ibanez started his 41^st game in left and was the main reason the Yankees defeated the Jays. When the Yankees signed Ibanez for $1.1 million last February, the plan was for him to mostly be a designated hitter and to occasionally play the outfield. But Gardner’s injury has forced Ibanez and Andruw Jones to start more games in the outfield.

Since Gardner had another setback, there is no certainty that he will return this season. As the Yankees wait for doctors to evaluate Gardner again, they are relieved that they have Ibanez. He can’t play defense or run like Gardner, but Ibanez can hit and can help. Long could see that, could see it back when Ibanez was an .059 hitter.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES