Finally. After an offseason of rumors and a Spring Training of hype and a win in an encouraging first regular season start, Masahiro Tanaka has finally arrived in the Bronx. He will make his second start of the season and his Yankee Stadium debut tonight, as the Yankees look to win this three-game series over the Orioles. The team kept him hidden from AL East rivals in camp to win games just like this.
Tanaka’s first start was a bit uneven, with a two rough innings to start the game and five dominant innings to end the outing. He admitted he was nervous beforehand and I’m sure he feels the same way again leading up to his home debut. How could he not? I’m anxious and all I have to do is watch. Just about everything is a first for Tanaka these days — this is his first start on a five-day schedule, remember — and his first Yankee Stadium start is among the biggest. Here is the Orioles lineup he will be facing and here is the Yankees lineup that will have his back:
- CF Brett Gardner
- SS Derek Jeter
- DH Jacoby Ellsbury
- RF Carlos Beltran
- C Brian McCann
- LF Alfonso Soriano
- 1B Kelly Johnson
- 2B Brian Roberts
- 3B Yangervis Solarte
RHP Masahiro Tanaka
The weather in New York has been really nice all day. A few clouds but not too much, no threat of rain of anything. Pretty good night for baseball. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 7pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy.
David Robertson Update: Robertson threw off flat ground today and felt fine. He is not eligible to come off the DL until April 22nd, so they have plenty of time to ease him back into things. [Sweeny Murti]
Mark Teixeira Update: Teixeira was cleared to begin a light exercise program two days ago. He is eligible to be activated off the DL on April 20th. [Bryan Hoch]
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