Both pitcher and manager attributed the hiccups to location problems confounded by one small quirk. Hughes admitted after the game to night vision troubles -- something that's affected him throughout his time with the Yankees. On this evening, Hughes missed several signs from catcher Chris Stewart, one of them directly leading to Tigers runs.
It's something that's always only bothered Hughes at night, and that he and the Yankees have only discussed in passing. Despite making two unscheduled trips to his eye doctor over the past two years, Hughes hasn't yet seriously considered the prospect of wearing goggles or contact lenses that might improve his vision. Perhaps until now.
Then again, Hughes says he's always had that problem, so he's not about to use it as an excuse. He remembers the old dominant Phil -- the guy who breezed through two full Minor League seasons with nary a scratch on his resume -- who rarely had to worry.
Now it's stupid to think that this is the sole cause of his early struggles, and for it to be a major factor at all you'd have to figure it's gotten worse recently since it never stopped him from dominating in the minors. But you have to wonder if this is playing into some of his control problems and the bad pitch selection he's made at times.
