"As he took swings in the indoor batting cages before Friday's game, a few of his teammates noted the significance of where they stood, and felt the need to remind Curtis Granderson.

It was here that Granderson made his final preparations before unveiling his new, scaled-down swing in a game against the Rangers in Aug. 2009. Looking back, the moment could prove to be pivotal in shaping Granderson's career.

When Granderson arrived via trade to the Yankees, he was already an accomplished player with the Tigers, an American League All-Star in center field. At age 29, Granderson had already reached the point where most players have ended any major development.

Nevertheless, Granderson appears to have defied convention with his improvement against left-handed pitchers. He was slated to take the day off against Rangers left-hander Derek Holland. Instead, Granderson remained in the lineup and was moved up into the second spot, where he went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks in the 7-5 loss to the Rangers.

"I've seen guys that seemed to blossom a little bit later in their career, but you don't see it every day," manager Joe Girardi said. "I think a lot of times by the time a guy is 27 or 28 you have pretty good idea of what you have, but Grandy made that little adjustment to simplify things and it really helped him.""