SEATTLE – After throwing just six pitches in the sixth inning Thursday, Jake Cousins he left the mountain with a trainer by his side.
Yankees reliever has been dealing with right pec tightness for a couple of days, Aaron Boone said after a 3-2 loss to the Mariners. However, he and Cousins described the injury as minor.
“It was just a little grainy for me and a little tight,” Cousins said. “The thought was just to give me a couple of days and see how I recover. Today, I felt good. I was just a bit of a guard.”
Cousins said he first felt a problem in his previous outing on September 15, and could be seen wearing a large wrap as he walked through the Yankees’ clubhouse on Wednesday. On Thursday, Cousins’ velocity saw a significant drop, as his fastball was down 3.1 mph from his season average. His sinker was down 4.7 mph, while his slider was down 1.2 mph.
However, the righty said he was just “being careful” and relied on his signature slider.
“In the last couple of days, he’s gotten a lot better, which is very encouraging for me,” Cousins said. “And then today, I was able to throw. I just didn’t necessarily want to let go, and I knew I could try to get out without having to be in the mid-90s.”
Still, the strong tides spurred Boone into action.
“It felt like it was good to stay in the game,” said the manager. “I just wanted to be careful here with the veil down a little bit. So for now, we feel like it’s probably just a two-day thing.”
Cousins said he hasn’t dealt with pec issues in the past, and he has no plans to submit to imaging. He planned to see how he felt on Friday morning, but added: “I hope it’s only a couple of days. I don’t think it’s anything more than that.”
An unknown commodity before this season, Cousins has enjoyed a breakout season since being acquired by the White Sox on March 31.
The 30-year-old has a 2.37 ERA over a 37-game career. His 34% strikeout rate also leads all Yankees relievers by a wide margin.
With the playoffs close and Cousins vitally important to the Yankees’ bullpen, Boone cut the pitcher’s afternoon.
“We just didn’t want to take any chances here,” the owner said, “especially with what it meant to us.”