One hundred and eighty three days ago, the Yankees closed out their disappointing 2013 season with an extra-innings win over the Astros. Too many injuries and too little talent doomed them, though, to be fair, the club did remain in the hunt for a postseason spot for a good chunk of September. Rather than gear up for a playoff drive, we were saying goodbye to Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte in those final days of the season.
Over these last 183 days, the Yankees remade their roster with several huge and several not-so-huge moves. Ten of the 25 players on the Opening Day roster were not with New York last summer, including four of their eight starting position players. Given how much time Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira missed to injury, it feels like they are new additions as well. The Yankees needed that roster overhaul and they paid handsomely to get it.
Of course, this season is as much about trying to win the World Series as it is saying goodbye to Jeter. The Cap’n announced he will retire following the season a few weeks ago, meaning we’re in for another long goodbye tour. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Jeter is playing in his final Opening Day tonight just like he played in his final Spring Training game last week. Everything from here on out is a final something for him.
On the mound for the Yankees tonight is the same man who’s started their last five Opening Days: CC Sabathia. The big … well, not so big these days … left-hander is making his sixth consecutive Opening Day start for New York, the most since Lefty Grove started six in a row from 1932-37. Only Mel Stottlemyre, Whitey Ford, and Ron Guidry have started more Opening Days in pinstripes at seven apiece. Sabathia also leads all active pitchers in Opening Day starts. This is number eleven for him.
The Yankees have lost their last two and four of their last five Opening Days. They are 75-37 all-time in the first game of the season, which is pretty ridiculous. This is only the second time they are opening the year against a non-AL East team since 2006. Here Joe Girardi’s first lineup of the season:
- CF Jacoby Ellsbury
- SS Derek Jeter
- RF Carlos Beltran
- C Brian McCann
- 1B Mark Teixeira
- DH Alfonso Soriano
- LF Brett Gardner
- 2B Brian Roberts
- 3B Kelly Johnson
LHP CC Sabathia
It’s hot in Houston and it has been raining on and off all day, but that doesn’t matter. Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof, so the weather is a non-factor. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm ET and you can watch live on YES locally and MLB Network nationally, depending on where you live. Enjoy the game, everyone.
Yankees on YES Update: Apparently the Yankees on YES streaming service is no longer being offered. A few people have emailed in asking about it. I’m not sure why it was discontinued, it was pretty great. I used it all the time. For shame.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.