Game between Royals and Yankees postponed, rescheduled for Sept. 25
NEW YORK >> Masahiro Tanaka gets extra rest, and the Kansas City Royals get to stay on schedule.
The game between the Royals and New York Yankees was postponed by rain Thursday, with the announcement coming on a wet morning in New York City about five hours before the teams were supposed to play the finale of a fourgame series. The local forecast called for inclement weather much of the day.
Instead, the game will be made up at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 25, previously an off day for both teams. A start time had not been determined.
Tanaka was initially lined up to pitch Thursday for New York. The ace righthander has given up 14 runs and seven homers over 4 2/3 innings in his last two outings. He is 5-3 with a 6.56 ERA in nine starts this year.
Right-hander Miguel Almonte was slated to make his first major league start for the Royals.
Despite the rainout, the first- place Yankees were still conducting business. As expected, they placed center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury on the seven-day concussion disabled list and re- called infielder- outfielder Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre.
Ellsbury was injured Wednesday night when he crashed hard into the outfield fence to make a catch, robbing Alcides Escobar of extra bases on the first pitch of the game. Ellsbury exited after the first inning and was diagnosed with a concussion and sprained neck.
The postponement gave Tanaka at least one additional day between starts, a routine he’s more accustomed to. Tanaka has made 55 of his 84 major league starts on five or more days of rest, going 32-12 with a 3.50 ERA in those games compared to 12-7 with a 3.30 mark on four days’ rest.
New York, which holds a season-high 2 ½ - game lead in the AL East over Baltimore, hosts the Oakland Athletics this weekend. Before the rainout, CC Sabathia was scheduled to start the series opener Friday night.
The day off could also benefit Kansas City, down a starting pitcher after righthander Nate Karns went on the 10- day disabled list this week because of nerve irritation in his pitching arm.
The Royals originally planned to start Almonte on Thursday to keep the regular members of their rotation on normal rest. The washout was no doubt a disappointment for the 24-year-old, who made nine relief appearances with Kansas City two years ago. Speaking through a translator, he said Wednesday the Yankees were his favorite team growing up and he admired Alex Rodriguez.
Almonte, called up Sunday, was 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts and one relief outing this year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he struck out 35 and walked six in 29 innings.