Torre Returns To Yanks' Dugout

May 18, 1999 / 7:30 PM EDT / AP

Joe Torre returned as manager of the New York Yankees on Tuesday, taking over the wobbling team exactly two months after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer.

Torre, who has guided the Yankees to two World Series championships in three years, joined the club in Boston for the start of a three-game series at Fenway Park.

"I've been ready to do this about a week," Torre said. "I think I'm all the way back. I don't anticipate missing any time."

Bench coach Don Zimmer, who had managed the Yankees since Torre underwent surgery in St. Louis on March 18, returned to his more familiar role, sitting at his friend's side in the dugout.

Torre, 58, said he made his decision Monday night, then took a flight with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to Boston on Tuesday.

"He's healthy and he's back and he's well," Steinbrenner said. "It's a special day."

At 21-15, the Yankees held a one-half game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East going into Tuesday night's marquee matchup between David Cone and Pedro Martinez. But New York is coming off a 3-6 homestand, its most shaky stretch in a long spell.

"I've been chomping a little bit lately," Torre said. "It's tough when we struggled here. I was feeling a little helpless."

Zimmer recently had talked a lot about leaving baseball because of a bad knee, but had said he would not walk away until Torre came back.

"He's going to be sitting next to me tonight, and I anticipate he'll be doing that the rest of the year," Torre said.

Torre said he called Zimmer in the morning to tell him the plans.

"I just said, `Are you ready to do the job you were hired to do?"' Torre said. "He said, `You bet I am."'

"A great big hug and a tip of the hat from me," he said. "It was just more than he should have had heaped on him."

Zimmer, who had a run-in with Steinbrenner a few days before the season opener, seemed pleased.

"I'm a bench coach," Zimmer said.

Torre had been with the Yankees for some of their home and road games, though he had not felt ready to return on a full-time basis until now.

"There was never a doubt. I had to come back here to see," Torre said. "I want to busy my mind with something other than when the next test is."

"Over the last week or so, I've been enthusiastic, looking forward to this."

Torre will continue to undergo tests and said he expects further treatment.

While Zimmer managed to handle the stress in one of sports' most demanding jobs, Torre's calming influence was something the Yankees clearly missed.

"I'm real happy that Joe's back, although I don't think Zim could have done anything differently," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "He did a good job."