The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Tanaka throws batting practice
Pitcher on track for July 31 season debut
NEW YORK — Before he threw live batting practice Tuesday, Masahiro Tanaka had a moment where he thought back to the last time he faced hitters. It was July 4 and Tanaka had already faced two batters when Giancarlo Stanton stepped in. Seconds later, Tanaka was on the ground holding his head after being hit by a line drive with a 112mph exit velocity.
So, Tuesday was a test. Not just a physical test of how Tanaka has healed from his “mild concussion” and is building up to return to action, but it was also a test of how he would feel out there facing hitters again.
“It actually crossed my mind for the first pitch. But after I threw that, it was back to business,” Tanaka said through interpreter Shingo Horie. “Back to normal.”
That was the best the Yankees and Tanaka could hope for. He showed no hesitation facing hitters again and threw 20 pitches against the likes of DJ LeMahieu.
“Being back on the mound and being able to pitch, without a doubt it was a big step forward for me,” Tanaka said. “Obviously, it tells me that I am
progressing in the right direction.”
That direction is heading towards pitching in the Yankees’ first homestand. Tanaka will do another live batting practice session on Sunday, going another inning, which will add 15-20 pitches. After that, the Yankees could possibly use him on July 31, when the Yankees see the Red Sox for the first time.
“I think that all depends on how I do in the next live BP. If everything comes out OK, I should be ready to go,” Tanaka said. “But I think it all depends on how I progress at that point and the actual live BP that’s coming next.”
That means the Yankees will have to fill Tanaka’s spot for the first turn through the rotation. They did that last year by using an opener very effectively. The Yankees have also had a good long look at their three young arms this spring and summer.
Clarke Schmidt was so impressive he claimed the James P. Dawson award, given annually to the most outstanding Yankees rookie in spring training.
Schmidt, 24, made four official spring training appearances (one start), posting a 2.57 ERA with eight strikeouts. A firstround pick (16th overall) of the Yankees in 2017, Schmidt was given a prominent run in the rebooted spring training, facing the Yankees’ regular lineup in intrasquad games and live batting practice.
He spent time with Gerrit Cole working on how to effectively use his twoseam fastball to go with what Baseball America called the best curveball in the organization, and picked up a lot of knowledge from the older pitchers in his first major league spring training.
Most importantly, he learned he belongs in the big leagues.
“I also learned that I can compete at this level, I learned that I can get outs at this level,” Schmidt said after pitching live BP that included striking out LeMahieu after falling behind. “You don’t really know how you’re going to fare until you get up here. And so I felt like I’ve fared very, very well. I felt very, very comfortable. I was not out of sorts at all, to me was just another baseball game in a bigger stadium.
“So I felt like a lot of good takeaways as far as being able to compete and get guys out this level,” Schmidt said. “I was happy to be able to be up here the whole time during camp and be able to compete with these guys day in and day out. So it was a lot of fun for me.”
Mike King also made the most of his opportunity, after struggling in the original spring training, by showing the Yankees he can get big league outs. Starting the exhibition game against the Mets Saturday, King allowed one run on three hits. He struck out three and walked one. Like Schmidt, the Yankees were taking a long look at the righty out of Boston College, giving him prime chances to face big league hitters in intrasquad games, live batting practice and the exhibition game.
Both would seem to be ready to get a chance this regular season.
Deivi Garcia struggled in his last chance, only getting through 1 2⁄3 innings Monday night against the Phillies. He limited the damage to two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out one.