It's hard to imagine Joe Girardi pulling any of his other starters, even the notoriously erratic A.J. Burnett, after just 76 pitches and 4-2/3 innings in a game the Yankees were winning.

But that is just what the Yankee manager did with super-rook Ivan Nova this afternoon, yanking him one out shy of getting out of the fifth inning, which deprived him of the chance to get the win. It's true that Nova did not seem to have the electric stuff he showed in his first two major-league starts -- his fastball, previously clocked as high as 97 MPH, never went above 94 today and mostly loitered in the neighborhood of 90-91, and after striking out seven White Sox on Sunday, did not record one K on Friday -- but still, the Yankees held a 5-3 lead when Girardi got out the hook with two out in the fifth and runners on first and second.

Asked if he was surprised to be removed from the game so early, Nova said, "At the time, yeah. But I think it was the right moment, because we won the game.''

Boone Logan came on to record a key strikeout of Lyle Overbay to end the inning, and Girardi used three more relievers -- David Robertson, Kerry Wood, who was awarded the win, and Mariano Rivera -- to cobble together 4-1/3 hitless innings the rest of the way.

"I just thought he was a little off today,'' Girardi said of Nova. "His command was a little off, and that's OK.''

Nova also acknowledged that he was not pitching inside, a tactic that nearly caused a brawl in Toronto when a high and semi-tight fastball to Jose Bautista caused the Blue Jays slugger to step toward the mound and issue some choice words.

"I didn't pitch inside today and that's a big thing for me,'' Nova said. "I think I missed a few times and after that, I didn't even try.''

For a young pitcher who has impressed the Yankees with his poise and toughness even more than with his arm, that failure may have hastened his early departure more than any ball the Blue Jays hit.