Baseball

Flaherty-Johnson stay together for Yankees

By wire services
Published October 4, 2005

Playoffs or not, Jorge Posada isn't going to catch Randy Johnson .

Light-hitting John Flaherty , the former Devil Ray who has caught most of Johnson's 34 starts for the Yankees this season, will do likewise in Game 3 of the division series against the Angels.

"To me, pitching is such a huge part of the game. And when you see something as comfortable as that seems to be, I don't want to mess with that," manager Joe Torre said Monday.

Posada batted .262 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs in 142 games. Flaherty hit .165 in 47 games with two homers and 11 RBIs. But Flaherty is more vigilant about keeping the five-time Cy Young Award winner focused on his mechanics.

ODD MAN OUT: White Sox rookie Brandon McCarthy has gone from clutch starter to spectator.

The right-hander was 3-1 with a 1.32 ERA in five starts since being recalled from the minors on Aug.3, and took a no-decision after allowing only one run in eight innings against reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana . But McCarthy pitched Sunday's finale in Cleveland, so manager Ozzie Guillen left him off the first-round playoff roster and took Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez instead.

"We couldn't use him until Wednesday or Thursday or the fifth game if we have one. In the fifth game, I'm going with ( Jose ) Contreras or ( Mark ) Buehrle ," Guillen said. "Everyone knows McCarthy did a tremendous job for us, but he couldn't perform for the next two days."

Though disappointed, McCarthy said he understood the decision, especially after throwing 102 pitches in only five innings Sunday. "You'd love to be a part of it and just know you have a chance to come in and make a difference in a series like this," he said. "But at the same time, it makes sense."

FAMILY LOYALTIES: Paul Konerko 's family might have had a tough choice if the Red Sox hadn't won the World Series last year. The White Sox first baseman is a Rhode Island native and, except for his immediate family, his relatives still live there. And they're Red Sox fans. "The overall thing is they want what's best for me, and what's best for me is winning this series and winning the World Series," said Konerko, whose White Sox play the Red Sox in the first round. "If the Red Sox hadn't won last year, they might think differently. But now that they got their World Series, they're probably a little more lenient."

[Last modified October 4, 2005, 02:15:30]