Phillies Yankees Connection...Again

As if right on cue, Sam Donellon channels my friend PK in harkening back to the middle relief of the late 90s New York Yankees as a point of reference for the current Phillies pen. Weird that PK made this very same observation - the very same team and players - yesterday and Donnellon writes about it today.

This year's pitching staff has two complete games, both by Cole Hamels. Yet, the starters lead the league in innings pitched. There is a sense, even from Adam Eaton these days, that each has grasped what it takes to pitch for this team, particularly in their home park. Throw strikes, walk few, eat innings, keep it close. It might not have been a foolproof formula when your middle relievers were named Mesa, Alfonseca and Geary, but the group out there now has been good enough to draw comparisons to that Yankees bullpen of the late '90s, the one with Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano Rivera at the end, and guys like Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton covering the sixth and seventh.