As embattled Yankee setup man Rafael Soriano dined with his best friend in baseball, Orioles reliever Mike Gonzalez, this past weekend, the conversation naturally turned to the difficulties Soriano was having adjusting to New York.
Gonzalez and Soriano pitched together in Atlanta, where they became close—the effusive, high-energy Gonzalez and the stone-faced, silent Soriano making an interesting pairing. But it worked. Gonzalez is the godfather to Soriano's year-old son, Raoul.
So when Soriano came under fire earlier this month for skipping out without talking to the media after he blew a lead, Gonzalez was among the first people the reliever called. The two of them tried to hash out how to handle the situation.
"We definitely talked about that....He wasn't used to that kind of thing. He was in Seattle and then played with me in Atlanta. You've got two or three reporters in Atlanta, at most," Gonzalez said.
"He felt bad about the situation. He definitely regretted not talking to the press. They can either be your friends or your enemies. I'm sure he's not going to do that again," Gonzalez said.
This past weekend, Soriano told his friend he felt better about the move, that New York was a good place to sign. But his troubles on the field continue, and it's not clear how right the 31-year-old reliever is for the cauldron that is Yankee Stadium.
He's trying, at least. After Soriano blew another lead Tuesday night, he stood at his locker and gamely answered questions about his struggles. He has given up nine runs so far this season, after allowing 12 all of last year. But the reliever said the New York environment is not the issue.
"No, no, I feel fine, I feel comfortable with the team and everything," Soriano said.
"I just had a bad day…a bad month."
Still, it's hard not to wonder. Someone like Nick Swisher seems built for New York—seeing the attention and scrutiny as an opportunity to be exploited. Soriano seems the exact opposite. He is dour, quiet and spent much of spring training with his headphones on, talking to few of his teammates. When he gives up a run on the mound, he seems dejected and emotional.
Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged that Soriano isn't exactly the prototypical New York player. But Soriano has thrived in pressure in-game situations before, and that counts for something, Girardi said.
"People sometimes look at people's demeanor and it's not exactly how they would want a guy to act. But that's just who he is. And he's been really effective pitching how he is," Girardi said. "It's a different animal here. But I haven't seen anything to tell me he can't handle it.
The Yankees have a lot invested in Soriano's success. Ownership gave the former Atlanta and Tampa Bay closer $35 million over three years to be the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera.
Gonzalez said that his friend has recognized he needs to adapt to New York and understands that if he is inflexible, he will be eaten alive. To adjust, Gonzalez said Soriano has tried to emulate Rivera—another naturally quiet man who has learned how to maintain his personality in New York. But Soriano's lack of confidence in speaking English has made him gun-shy, Gonzalez said—and Soriano doesn't like using translators.
"He's just very quiet. That's his personality," Gonzalez said. "He doesn't like being in the media. He doesn't like being in the news. He likes to go out, get his inning in and be done. But it's obviously an adjustment he has to make. Going to New York, he knew that was going to happen. He's going to make strides. He's that person, where he [made a mistake] once, he learned from it, and he's going to go on from there."
Soriano is just the latest in a long line of players who needed to adapt to life in Yankeeland. Alex Rodriguez went through one of the most famously difficult adjustments of all, and said that Soriano will figure it out.
"Sori's gonna be fine. NY is a challenging place, but he's a talented guy," Rodriguez said.
It was then suggested that the two have gone through similar situations. Not quite, responded Rodriguez, whose adjustment to New York continues even today.
"I don't think so. Nothing similar. Let's not get crazy," he said.
