A guest post from our friends at TiqIQ:

During his impressive Major League debut, Masahiro Tanaka recorded his first big league victory by pitching seven innings against the Toronto Blue Jays this past Friday, giving up three runs (two earned) with eight strikeouts on six hits. Tanaka’s first start in a Yankee uniform wasn’t all good however, as the first batter he faced (Melky Cabrera) took him deep and there were several hard hit balls in the first two innings. Tanaka showed good poise, though, as he settled down and retired 15 of 16 batters he faced in his final five innings. He didn’t display overpowering stuff, as his fastball was mostly around the low 90s, but he showed off his nasty splitter and good control of the ball. So far it’s a good start for the $155 million dollar Yankee right hander.

The 25-year-old from Japan now has his eyes set for his first start at Yankee Stadium, Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. There is much hype surrounding the young pitcher, and Tanaka will look to show both his doubters and supporters that he is the real deal in front of the home crowd. If he pitches like he did in Japan last year, when he went 24-0 in 27 starts, eight complete games, a ridiculous 1.27 ERA, and 183 strikeouts, he’ll likely receive much love from the Bronx.

Yankees fans who are looking to see Tanaka pitch live at Yankee stadium tonight will be able to do so at a discounted price. The average ticket price for tonight’s game is $77 dollars, 40% below Yankees home season average. The get in price is $8 dollars and New York Yankees tickets are down 13% for one of the most interesting games early on the Yankees schedule. The discounted Yankees ticket prices for their home opening series with the Baltimore Orioles is mostly due to ticket prices usually falling off a bit after Opening Day for the next few games, even if a possible star pitcher will be making an appearance.

Masahiro Tanaka, before signing with the Yankees, spent seven seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he recorded 99 career wins with the team, with 53 of them complete games and a career 2.30 ERA. Tanaka has a lot to look forward tonight, and hopes to put on a show for his fans, as he puts his 29 regular season game winning streak on the line. That streak dates back to August of 2012 when he lost to the Seibu Lions.

You don’t have to be a fan to know a great New York Steak House. Prepare for your meal by checking out the great menu at NYY Steak here!

By Nick Tranfaglia, TiqIQ

The New York Yankees are the premier franchise in all of professional sports, having won an unprecedented 27 World Series Championships throughout their storied history. As such, they have rarely offered discounted ticket specials. However for 2014 season they have decided to reward their loyal fan base by offering some fantastic deals for the upcoming season. Beginning at 12pm EST on Black Friday (November 29) and lasting until December 24th, the Yankees, in conjunction with MasterCard, will offer three different promotions for fans to purchase tickets.

MasterCard Preferred Pricing

• $15 off select seats when purchasing tickets with your MasterCard.
• Available for every home game through June.
• New for the 2014 season!

MasterCard Holiday Buy 2, Get 2

• Save 50% on select seats (Terrace Level, Grandstand Level or Bleachers) for the following games:
• Must be purchased with a MasterCard between 12 pm EST on Black Friday (11/29) through Cyber Monday (12/2).
• Entering the promo code “MCB2G2” at check out.

• 4/8 vs Baltimore Orioles
• 4/9 vs Baltimore Orioles
• 4/15 vs Chicago Cubs
• 4/16 vs Chicago Cubs
• 4/29 vs Seattle Mariners
• 4/30 vs Seattle Mariners
• 5/1 vs Seattle Mariners

MasterCard $5 & 1/2 Priced Games

• Tickets available in select areas of the Stadium in the Terrace Level, Grandstand Level or Bleachers
• Tickets must be purchased with a MasterCard.
• Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game.

By TiqIQ

Over the last week, the average price for Mariano Rivera’s final game has dropped on the secondary market from $238 on September 8th to $103 today.  It’s one of the few games the Yankees have sold out this season. Despite that fact, the average price is now only 10% above the Yankee’s regular season average.  That’s quite a contrast from opening day, when the game had an average price of $371. In April, Yankees fans envisioned a strong finish after an injury-slowed first half, and Mariano on the mound saving a game to put them into the playoffs for one final magical Mo postseason.  Instead, it’s been almost a week since he has pitched, and while a there have been a couple wins along the way, the last 10 days has been filled with a lot of lopsided losses.  Tonight, the Yankees will face Alex Cobb, whose 2.90 ERA is the best of any of the Rays starters this series.  Based on the first two games of the series, a save opportunity may be a long shot.

To the dismay of Yankees fans, Mo has not been trotting out for a ceremonially inning this series.  Not surprisingly, it’s been business as usual for the Mo, and last night was no exception.  With two outs in the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees, down 7-3, loaded the bases. When Curtis Granderson came to plate, one swing could have tied the game. Many managers feel that a tied game in the 9th at home is the equivalent to a save situation. Preserving the tie gives the home team a chance to win the game in the bottom half of the 9th, so goes the logic.  With that possibility, Mariano quickly stood, loosened his arm with a few bent-over windmills and stepped up the bullpen rubber.  The crowd cheered in anticipation of a miracle, and Mo threw two quick pitches at about three-quarters speed before Granderson grounded sharply into a shifted 4-2 putout.  With the threat over, Rivera returned to his seat and eventually watched the Yankees go out 1-2-3 in the ninth.

If the Yankees can’t make it close tonight, those could have been Mariano’s two last warmup pitches in Yankee Stadium.  Despite their elimination last night, and the final confirmation that there would be no world series tickets in the Bronx, the Yankees still have something to play for tonight: the chance to give their fans one last opportunity to see the great Mariano close a game.   It would be some version of a happy ending to a miserable and tortured season, and give Yankees fans a brief moment to reminiscence about the last 19 seasons before turning their attention to an uncertain future.

By Jesse Lawrence, TiqIQ

It’s been a challenging year for the Yankees, with more injuries and off-field drama than should be possible in a single year. While many expected September in the Bronx to be audition central, the Yankees are, improbably and amazingly, still in it. Yankee Stadium, new or old, is the largest stage in baseball and this is arguably the most drama-filled season there since Reggie Jackson and the Bronx is Burning days of the 70s.

As with any good drama, intriguing storylines sell. The 2013 Yankees are filled with heroes (Mariano Rivera), villains (Alex Rodriguez), the opportunity for redemption (A-Rod, Derek Jeter), and the realization of salvation (Mo). It is a producer’s dream and as a result, Yankees tickets for the next month of baseball in the Bronx have an average price of $125, or 52% higher than September 2012 and 31% more than 2011.

In addition to all the juicy storylines, there’s also some excellent baseball to been seen, including the World Champion San Francisco Giants’ first ever visit to the new Yankee Stadium. Amazingly, there’s also a pennant up for grabs, and if Joe Girardi can get this team across the October line, he would have to be a lock for Manager of the Year.

Of the remaining series this year, the Giants series is the most expensive, with an average price of $155. At $139, the Rays are second, and the Red Sox are third at $111. The Rays series average price is boosted significantly by the final game of the season — and possibly of Mariano Rivera’s career. It could also be a play-in game for the playoffs.

Just before A-Rod’s return, I joked in a Forbes article that all A-Rod really wanted was to bring the Yankees to playoff glory, after which he’d tell Bud Selig to stuff his 211-game suspension and retire forever. While he’s more likely to get off than walk away from his millions, for now he has the opportunity for playoff glory. If the Yankees can finish off the sweep of the ChiSox on Wednesday, the race begins in earnest against the Red Sox on Thursday night.

Below is some color on each Red Sox games and a couple deals that will get you into the middle of the drama for less.

Thursday night is the cheapest on the Red Sox Series, and we’d recommend spending more time in the primary market looking for deals than the secondary market. Our pick for the game is 1 row of Section 305, for $53.

Friday night is the second most expensive game of the series, and we’d say the primary market has the better values. We particularly like the below 100 level deal for Friday night, which is $30-$40 less than what’s available in the secondary market in the same section.

Saturday’s game has very few Yankees vs Red Sox tickets left on the primary market. You’re probably better off in the secondary market, but if you’re reading this before Thursday, you might find some a hidden gem. Check out RAB Tickets above for secondary and primary.

By Jesse Lawrence, TiqIQ

At 8.5 games back, the Yankees play their first of 10 remaining games against the Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park. With a sweep of all 10, the Yankees would be back in first place, and the first five months of frustration would be forgotten. That’s a long shot; there’s a better chance that the Sox use these 10 games to bury the Yankees 2013 season. Based on prices for the three remaining series, it appears that Sox fans taste blood in the water and are looking to do everything they can do ensure the Yankees don’t see the light of postseason day. The six games at Fenway have an 88% premium above the Red Sox home average of $107. By contrast, the three Yankees games in early September only have an 18% premium above the Yankees season average of $89.

Fenway has 13,000 less seats than Yankee Stadium, which means that Red Sox tickets will always be more expensive than Yankees tickets. The premium, however, indicates that demand for the best rivalry in baseball has rebounded in Boston after last year’s disastrous Bobby Valentine experiment. As a point of comparison, the final series at Fenway last year on September 11th to 13th had an average price of $92, and you could get in for as little as $15. This year’s September series at Fenway has an average of $221 and the cheapest ticket is $51 to the Sunday night game and $88 to either of the other two games.

For tickets to any of the remaining home games at Yankee stadium, or Fenway, visit RAB Tickets.