Look unbeatable

Barring injury, Stanton and Judge are going to mash plenty of homers as teammates, particularly in their home launching pad back in the Bronx. They went deep a combined 111 times last season – only four fewer than the famed M&M Boys (Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle) had accumulated in 1961* — with the reigning NL MVP out-clubbing the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up by a 59-52 count. Seeing the newly formed dynamic duo in action all spring had to be among the lead reasons why Brian Cashman has deserted any silly notion that the Yanks still should be viewed as underdogs to the Red Sox in the East. The GM even quipped before the opener that he’s now “switched it to the Big Engine That Could.” “It’s a nice way to start,” Cashman added. The key to living up to such juggernaut status will be just as much about pitching, and the Yanks sure looked covered there, too. Luis Severino picked up where he established himself last season with another ace-level performance, striking out seven over 5.2 scoreless frames (one hit) before Boone turned to the locked-and-loaded bullpen he’s inherited for the final 10 outs. Not even a hiccup homer allowed by late-2017 worry Betances could spoil Boone’s or Stanton’s eye-popping debuts. Now, over the next six (or seven) months, we’ll get to see if anyone can stop them.