The year that Rick Porcello was born, Jim Leyland managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a second-place finish in the National League East. By then, Leyland had already been in the game for a quarter of a century.
        The year Porcello turned nine, Leyland won the World Series with the Florida Marlins.
        Leyland played in 446 games in the minors and managed 1,402 others. Porcello has played in 24.
        Leyland has managed 2,694 big league games. Porcello has pitched one.
        The 20-year-old Porcello, who won’t even be able to legally buy a beer until December, is scheduled to make the second start of his big league career Tuesday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox in a key early battle in the AL Central division race.
        But Leyland isn’t worried about Porcello’s youth.      
        “Age, to me, is just a number,” Leyland said Monday. “He’s more mature than some 25 year olds I’ve been around. If I’m afraid to use him, I should send him out.
        “It’s got to be mind-boggling,” Leyland admitted. “I know it was mind-boggling to me when I first got to the big leagues.
        “But I think he’s figured things out pretty good. He’s figured out there is breakfast in the lunch room when he gets here in the morning. And he knows there is a nice spread after the game. This is a pretty good gig.
        “He’s walking around here like a 10-year veteran. He handles himself well, this is a neat thing for him.
        “I look at him as a major league pitcher,” Leyland continued.
        “He and Ryan Perry are here because we thought they could help the team. If they  help, then they shouldn’t be here. This is about performance.”