IT’S TANAKA’S TURN
Masahiro will start for Yanks on Opening Day, snapping CC’s streak:
TAMPA − It’s official: Masahiro Tanaka will start for the Yankees on Opening Day.
Joe Girardi on Friday finally revealed the worst-kept secret in Yankeeland, tabbing the 26-year-old as the Bombers’ starter April 6 against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. “I’m honored, obviously,” Tanaka said through a translator. “Now that I know when I’m pitching for the season, my job is to get ready for that day.”
CC Sabathia, who had started all six openers since joining the Yankees in 2009, had previously been ruled out based on his spring schedule since he would have had to start on three days’ rest to keep his streak alive.
“When we came into spring training, our main focus was to make sure they were both healthy,” Girardi said of Sabathia and Tanaka, who are both coming back from major injuries. “We took it slow because of things they dealt with the year before.
“If CC wouldn’t have had the (knee) problem and pitched all 30 starts, it probably would have been a non-issue who was going to go No. 1, but it didn’t happen that way and we had to make sure people were ready. I know it’s a big deal, and it might be somewhat of a deal to them, but when CC looks back, he’s going to worry about Octobers.”
The Yankees have an off-day following the opener, meaning Tanaka will be able to pitch with an extra day of rest between his first two starts. In fact, Tanaka should pitch with extra rest in four of his first six starts if the Yanks stick with a five-man rotation.
Tanaka, who threw 59 pitches in his last start, will increase his pitch count to about 75 on Tuesday against the Twins. Girardi said Tanaka would be on “a little bit of a limited pitch count” in the opener − likely 90 pitches − but that shouldn’t be an issue after his first start.
“We feel that’s the way it works the best,” Girardi said. “You feel that gives everyone a chance to be pretty ready. . . . We think it’s an opportune time for him. It’s a spot where you go on six days’ (rest) a little bit more.”
Tanaka went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA in 20 starts last season, missing more than two months with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA in three starts this spring.
Girardi said the decision to start Tanaka in the opener had more to do with the way the schedule worked out than it did to reward for Tanaka for his impressive rookie campaign.
“He did have a great year, but I worry more about the physical part than anything because that’s what’s going to carry us through the season,” Girardi said. “Rewards come at the end of October.”
Michael Pineda and Sabathia will pitch the second and third games of the year against Toronto, while Nathan Eovaldi will make his first start in pinstripes against the Red Sox in the Bombers’ fourth game. All four starters will have an extra day of rest between their final spring outings and their season debuts.
“It was just making sure he was ready,” Girardi said of Sabathia’s drop from ace to No. 3 starter. “I felt that I could have put him anywhere.”
Tanaka’s Opening Day assignment will come against the Blue Jays, the same team he opposed in his major-league debut last April. Tanaka won that game in Toronto, allowing three runs (two earned) over seven innings, although it started rough when Melky Cabrera homered on the third pitch of the righthander’s career.
“He’s gone, so I wouldn’t have that sort of negative image from last year,” a smiling Tanaka said of Cabrera, who is now with the White Sox. “Obviously I’d like to have a different outcome for the first