Pavano not looking back: Carl Pavano threw a bullpen session on Saturday morning, marking the first time this spring the right-hander has thrown off a mound.
Pavano threw 30 pitches, testing his balky back for the first time since completing a two-week strengthening program.
"It felt good. It's part of the progression," Pavano said. "I came into camp doing flat ground [work] getting ready for the mound, so now I'm doing the mound to get ready for [batting practice] and BP to get ready for a game. It's a step in the right direction."
Pavano missed the second half of 2005 with rotator cuff tendinitis, but his shoulder hasn't given him any trouble this spring. Saturday was Pavano's first mound session since last August, but he said he felt comfortable right away.
"I felt smooth," Pavano said. "I was a little surprised at how my balance felt, because I hadn't been on the mound since last August. It wasn't very foreign for me."
"He was excited this morning," said manager Joe Torre. "I said, 'I saw your teeth for the first time in a while.'"
Pavano is about two weeks behind the rest of the Yankees' staff, but he is expected to join the rotation sometime in mid-April. Pavano appeared to be confident that his back troubles are a thing of the past, and he is looking forward to his next bullpen session, scheduled for Monday.
"These last couple of weeks that we backed off, to take care of my back, it gave me all the confidence in the world," Pavano said. "I wasn't hesitant at all on the mound."
Another step forward: Also making his first appearance on a mound this spring was Octavio Dotel, who continued his comeback from last June's Tommy John surgery.
Dotel threw 30 pitches from halfway up the mound, marking the first time he got on the hill since his surgery.
"What I saw today, it made me feel good," Dotel said. "It made my work for the last nine months look good. I've been waiting for it."
"He's got a lot of life in his arm," Torre said, "but he still has a long way to go."
Dotel isn't expected to join the Yankees until late May or early June, when he will join Kyle Farnsworth and Tanyon Sturtze as the setup men for Mariano Rivera. Dotel admitted to feeling "a little nervous" before Saturday's session, but he was all smiles after his work for the day was completed.
"I was really excited all week, because I knew I was going to throw a bullpen today. When I woke up today, I was really excited," Dotel said. "I went through my 30 pitches and each one was perfect. I didn't feel anything to scare me. It was beautiful."
Dotel will now throw bullpen sessions every other day, working his way toward throwing batting practice.
"I think he feels good that we're not expecting him to be with us until June," Torre said. "He can go at the pace that the surgery dictates."
Originally Posted by riverside sluggers
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