Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
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TAMPA — An Opening Day start is often an honor, but at times just a necessity. Someone has to do it. You can’t just leave the mound empty because the most obvious guy is unavailable.
Which is how you can — true story — come to an Opening Day, as the Yankees did in 2007, with Joe Torre picking among Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens and Carl Pavano. He went with Pavano basically because the season could not begin without someone delivering that first pitch.
“It’s just one game,” Torre, in Yankee uniform at Steinbrenner Field, said remembering the decision.
Torre was planning to give the ball to Chien-Ming Wang, but the righty was injured late in camp and Andy Pettitte was still healing from an injury and Mike Mussina was not lined up properly. So, Torre turned to Pavano, who had not pitched in nearly two years and had his own teammates openly questioning his toughness and commitment. Again, he got the opener because, well, someone had to.