New York Yankees

When two opposing forces meet, the results can be explosive. We see it in television, movies, and even in our everyday sayings (the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object, or more simply, red vs. blue).

The New York Yankees are probably coming close to putting a list of September call-ups together. Kei Igawa may have just lost his spot on that list. The Japanese right-handed pitcher pitched for his country in the Little League World Series but did not perform to the high expectations that were set for him. 

As August comes to an abrupt close with prized rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg requiring Tommy John surgery, I begin to predict what the New York Yankees are thinking with their own cherished talent.

I have devised a list of who I think have the best chances of being called up come September first.

Please enjoy and thank you for reading.

Note: All Statistics are through August 27th.

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Today, Andy Pettitte will pitch a bullpen session in Chicago. There are two possible outcomes for this situation.

Good outcome: Pettitte could return in mid-September and be the horse he was before the injury, when was on his way to a Cy Young-type season. 

Bad outcome: He could feel a "pull" in his groin, and the Yankees could be stuck with the pitchers they have, or get someone off waivers.

Stephen Strasburg needs Tommy John surgery (TJS), and if you are in shock over this, you shouldn't be. Strasburg has all the requirements of a guy destined for this procedure.

First, he throws extremely hard, upwards of 100 MPH. That is just too taxing on the throwing arm’s tendons and ligaments. There is a certain threshold for the body when it comes to pitching a baseball. Second, Strasburg has brutal pitching mechanics, with a very violent motion.

Looking back, it's astounding to think that the Yankees ever let Andy Pettitte get away.

He's only been the guts of every championship rotation the franchise has assembled in the past 15 years, after all. Not to besmirch the dead, but Pettitte's regrettable sabbatical in Houston fell directly on The Boss, who never did fully appreciate what the lefty meant to the Yankees.

As soon as media outlets started reporting that Shawn Chacon was traded to the New York Yankees for two prospects, reporters and critics started to rip the Yankees apart. They claimed that Chacon was just going to hold up in the Yankees rotation for a bit like temporary starters. 

Enter Shawn Chacon vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the first time in pinstripes. He did not allow a single run through six innings. Silence goes over the doubters. 

Andy Pettitte will throw a bullpen session on Friday in Chicago to test his strained left groin.

Pettitte has been on the DL since July 20 when he strained his left groin in a game on July 18 against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Originally, Pettitte was going to be out for 4-5 weeks, but Andy was targeting three.