NEW YORK STRONG
Mets host Yanks on next year’s 20th anniversary of 9/11:
he Mets and Yankees will be scheduled to meet next season on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, an industry source confirmed Tuesday. They will meet at Citi Field, according to sources.
“I mean, it is so far in the future and especially with all we’re dealing with right now, it’s hard to you know, I haven’t given it the thought … but that’s something I can’t imagine how emotional and how powerful of an event that could be,” Aaron Boone said. “When I was a player going through that, I was with the Cincinnati Reds and I just knew, just remembering back to how impactful it was for us. You know, when it occurred, we happened to be in Chicago and then just coming back at the end of the season and playing those games and kind of watching from afar. You know, the Mets’ (first game back) versus the Braves game, that just was so emotional, obviously. The amazing World Series that went on the games here in the Bronx and in the World Series.
“I would imagine, especially all that we have gone through this year, maybe adding another layer of just how potentially powerful and emotional of a game and a day and an event that might be,” Boone said. “It’s something that hopefully, you know, we’re all a part of and it’ll get the magic that it deserves.”
SUBWAY TUNE-UPS
Can you ever get enough of Yankees vs. Mets and the possible matchup of Gerrit Cole vs. Jacob deGrom? Well, this year will test that theory.
The Yankees and Mets will not only play six games during the coronavirus-shortened “regular” season, but also two tune-up exhibition games before Opening Day.
The first game, July 18 in
Queens, just happens to be five days before the Yankees’ season opener in D.C. against the World Series champion Nationals. Cole is expected to pitch in that highly anticipated matchup against Max Scherzer, so there is a chance he could pitch in that exhibition game as part of his last “spring training” start.
“We’ve talked about that a little bit he and I,” Boone said. “But we haven’t settled on that. It just depends on, you know where we put the premium on if we feel like he’s getting quality work in and we want to have that sixth day for instance going into his first start.
“We’ll just see how the progression continues to happen,”
Boone said. “And that’ll be a conversation that we have and and a decision that we’ll make closer to that date.”
The next night, the Mets come across town to face the Bombers at 7:10 p.m.
On July 20, the Phillies, under first-year (and former long-time Yankees) skipper Joe Girardi, will come to Yankee Stadium for an exhibition game. First pitch for that final tune-up is 6:05 p.m.
“We’re excited to be able to have a few games … I think it is something that’s important and something that we put a lot of value on. But to be able to have it here in our home city — to have a couple of games — it’s something that certainly we’ll
look forward to and hopefully, it’ll be something that gives us a really good tune-up heading into the regular season,” Boone said.
TANAKA SPOT
While Masahiro Tanaka is progressing through the MLB concussion protocol, the Yankees have only 15 days before the season opens and may have to figure out how to fill his spot in the rotation at least once or twice.
“I just don’t want to get into speculating too much day in and day out. The reality is he’s doing well. He’s responded well, but we also want to be incredibly careful with this and make sure he’s checking all the boxes while he’s in concussion protocol,” Boone said.
It’s unlikely they would push any starter, particularly new ace Gerrit Cole, even with the day off in the first week of the schedule and go with a fourman rotation. They have options in Jonathan Loasiga and young prospects Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia. The Yankees were also very comfortable using Chad Green as the opener last season.
LATE ARRIVING
Loasiga has yet to be seen at the spring training reboot. According to sources, Loaisiga had travel delays getting out of his native Nicaragua. He is going through the intake testing.