Ivan Nova: Still Working out the Glitches
(mlb.com)
By Yeisa Martinez
The Bronx Journal Staff Writer
After playing in the minors since 2004, 24-year-old pitcher Ivan Nova (2-2) had his first major league win as a pro with the Yankees on August 29th 2010 where he only allowed one run and five hits, with seven strikeouts and one walk in 5 2/3 innings. Yet this win couldn’t take away from the fact that he had already been under fire by the MLB due to claims that while he was playing for the Double A team Trenton, he and a former teammate Wilkin de la Rosa allegedly injected themselves with vitamin B12. Under Major League rules, vitamin B12 is legal to use, but only when prescribed and injected by a licensed physician.
This year he got his first win (4-3) against the Twins on April 4, yet he couldn’t cut it on April 9 as the Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox. While the Yankees won with a final score of 9-4, it was the bats and bullpen combined that ended up saving the day for the Yankees, not Nova. Seven out of the nine runs were due to homeruns blasted against the Green Monster by Cano (1), Granderson (2) and Martin (4). Eric Chaves also contributed with two runs in his first start of the season. Nova failed to make it out of the 5th inning and exited the game after being charged with four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. “I just didn’t think he had command of his fastball today,” said Joe Girardi of Nova’s performance. The bullpen came out in full force in the name of Dave Roberston and worked out of the jam that Nova created. He then went on to have a scoreless inning against the Sox, while eventually saving the game and getting the W.
Nova has come a long way from San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, where he dreamed of becoming a Yankee. Now that he is here, he is determined to stay and is not frazzled by recent trade rumors, “I am not distracted by these rumors. I am here to work and do my job. I am very calm and feel confident about myself.” While he still has some things to work on, Nova is focusing on keeping control of his fastball and staying focused on getting the job done.