NEW YORK — They were teacher-student batterymates 10 years ago with the Cubs, and now Joe Girardi and Kerry Wood are reunited in a manager-player role.

"It's great," Wood said. "Honestly, it's the same as when he was catching. He was kind of like a manager then. Joe's always been a student of the game and great baseball mind and nothing's changed.

"The only thing is he's not wearing the gear anymore."

Girardi is wearing the boss' hat now, and since Wood arrived from the Indians on July 31, theirs has been a unique relationship.

Wood has become a key piece for the Yankees, who not only made the playoffs but lead the Twins 2-0 in a best-of-five American League Division Series that could conclude Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.

Wood has become the main eighth-inning bridge to Mariano Rivera, once going 21 straight appearances without allowing a run.

Not coincidentally, the Yankees' bullpen saw its ERA go from 3.95 without Wood to 2.79 with him.

"I'm not the same piece of the puzzle that I was in Chicago, so it's a different vibe for me," Wood said of the playoffs "I'm not taking anything away (from now), it's just a different time in my career.

"I couldn't be happier."

His two post-Cubs years in Cleveland as closer were not the best of times for Wood.

His ERA with the Indians was 6.30 before the trade.

And he was activated from the disabled list just so he could be moved to the Yankees.

Of course, Girardi remembered the old Wood and immediately sent pitching coach Dave Eiland to the video room to see "what made Kerry Wood successful. We went back as far as the 20-strikeout game (in 1998) to look at that."

The solution? Come more over the top when throwing his curveball.

"I got my curveball back," Wood said. "I didn't have it at all in Cleveland."

dvandyck@tribune.com