"For the last 10 days, Javy Vazquez sat in the bullpen, a pariah of the starting rotation, and watched as everyone else got to get up and go to work around him. From Mariano Rivera to Chad Gaudin, every member of the Yankees bullpen got to pick up their glove at some point and try and make an impact in the race for the postseason.

Everyone expect for Javy Vazquez.

Until Tuesday night.

"Obviously, as a competitor, it's disappointing," Vazquez said after Tuesday night's 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. "You can't hide that fact. But I was glad that they used me today, this way."

After starter Phil Hughes exited with one out in the sixth inning, Yankee manager Joe Girardi finally picked up the bullpen phone and uttered the words, "Javy Vazquez" into it. For the first time since Sept. 10, Vazquez saw live game action. His stint was brief — just one total inning of work — but effective.

Despite allowing one run that was charged to Hughes, Vazquez went unblemished in his first appearance since being relegated to the bullpen 10 days ago. He gave up three runs and didn't strike out any batters (the first time that's happened since May 10, 2000 — a streak of 349 appearances), but more importantly gained a semblance of personal confidence.

"I feel good," he said. "Even though the results weren't there (as a starter), I felt in Texas I thought I threw the ball good. The results, like I said, weren't there. But I feel good right now.""