Scout.com > Boston "Yo-Yo" Tavarez Finishes Season On The Up Story URL: http://redsox.scout.com/2/574339.html Jerry Beach DiehardMagazine.com Sep 30, 2006 BOSTON—The Red Sox rotation is not lacking for interesting personalities. There’s Curt Schilling, the opinionated number one starter with a flair for the dramatic. There’s Josh Beckett, the brutally honest ace-in-training in the midst of a fascinating maturation process. Tim Wakefield willingly flies under the radar, but as a knuckleball pitcher who has lasted more than a decade with the Sox in a variety of roles, his resume speaks loud enough. And even Devern Hansack, who has all of one big league start, has a unique back story: In addition to being of indeterminate age, Hansack was out of professional baseball the last two years before a breakout season at Double-A Portland earned him a September call-up. But no Sox starter has been more electric this month than Julian Tavarez, who spent the first four months of the season as the guy no Sox fan wanted to see in a close game but has turned into the guy you can’t take your eyes off for fear you’ll miss something you’ve never seen before. Like, say, a pitcher sprinting to second base to try and pick off a runner. Tavarez capped his season Friday by throwing five laborious innings and picking up the win as the Sox edged the Orioles, 4-3, to move back into a tie for second place in the AL East with the Blue Jays. But no one cared about the particulars of Tavarez’ performance (two runs on six hits and five walks with no strikeouts), only the memorably failed pickoff attempt that provided a window into Tavarez’ hyper-competitive nature. With two outs and the bases loaded in the third and the Sox clinging to a 2-1 lead, Tavarez thought Brian Roberts was inattentively straying too far off second base. Hoping to escape the jam by picking off Roberts, Tavarez motioned to rookie shortstop Dustin Pedroia. But Pedroia was chatting with Roberts, who was gazing towards the outfield. Unbeknownst to Tavarez, Jason Varitek called time. But Tavarez didn’t realize the ball was dead, so with neither Pedroia nor Roberts paying attention to him, Tavarez bolted for second base. A jolted Roberts raced back to the bag and Tavarez dove at Roberts—losing his hat in the process—and slapped a tag on Roberts’ leg. “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you realize that you haven’t come close,” Terry Francona said. “Going after him was one thing. But when he dove head-first, I told Millsy [bench coach Brad Mills] we need to put that in next spring in our fundamentals.” “I thought it was kind of funny, seeing Julian running at Brian and all of a sudden he dove for him,” said Kevin Youkilis, who was manning first base. Pretty much everyone thought it was hilarious except Tavarez, a throwback pitcher who wants the ball every day and refuses to fraternize with opponents before or during the game. Though Tavarez apologized to Pedroia for the aborted pickoff play, he also said he was unhappy with him for talking to Roberts. “That’s why they call me yo-yo—you think I’m crazy, wild guy,” Tavarez said. “You know I’m wild out there. I’ve got to wait five, six days. I want to do my job out there, I want to walk away with a ‘W.’ I want to help the team and that’s the way I am—so much energy out there and too focused on the game. A lot of guys, they laugh, smile, play around. I don’t like that. But everybody’s different. I can’t smile out there and I can’t smile. Too serious in my game.” To prove his point, Tavarez said he barely talked to Manny Ramirez, his best friend on the planet, when he and the Cardinals played the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series. “I’ve known Manny since I was 16, 17 years old,” Tavarez said. “Manny is a brother to me. Just different last names. But Manny is a brother to me. He’s my best friend in baseball, probably is my best friend out of baseball too. And I never said one word to Manny before the game. I see Manny before the game for lunch, after that, I didn’t know who number 24 was. “But this is what I am. People call me yo-yo. That’s OK. They can call me whatever they want. But I can’t change my approach on the field.” Said Francona: “I think it’s very obvious how much he wants to compete. I applaud that.” The Sox had plenty to applaud during Tavarez’ six starts down the stretch. Since Aug. 31, the Sox are 5-1 when Tavarez starts and 9-12 with anyone else on the mound. His peripheral numbers indicate he may not be a bet for long-term success as a starter (he struck out 16 and walked 15 in 33 1/3 innings), but the versatility and prideful competitiveness he displayed down the stretch should assure him a more secure role with the Sox next season. Tavarez was uniquely demonstrative on the mound: On routine ground balls with no one on base, he would duck and point towards first base, which led Mike Lowell to wonder aloud where else he’d throw the ball. He received a standing ovation after he allowed just two runs in 6 1/3 innings against the White Sox Sept. 4, but he refused to tip his cap because he was unhappy over how fans had booed him earlier in the year. And after a complete game win over the Blue Jays Sept. 22—only the second complete game of the season for the Sox—he thanked just about everyone associated with the club during a lengthy and emotional post-game interview with NESN’s Tina Cervasio, who said later she didn’t want the interview to end. Tavarez, who has appeared in 70 or more games three times in 11 seasons, said he had a difficult time adjusting to the American League, where the bullpen isn’t utilized as often as in the NL. But he is grateful to the Sox for continuing to pitch him despite his struggles (he was 2-4 with a 4.71 ERA and one save in 52 relief appearances) and said he would be willing to pitch in any role next season. “I would like to know,” Tavarez said. “But if I’m not a starter here next year, that would be fine. If I am in the pen as a long man, as a set-up man, I’ll be fine too because I will be prepared. “I’ll be happy to have this uniform on every day.” Diehard managing editor Jerry Beach can be reached at diehardmag@yahoo.com. To receive a free issue of Diehard, call 888-979-0979. Copyright © Scout.com and DiehardMagazine.com