Hoping to rebound from a down 2013 campaign, the New York Yankees went on a shopping spree during the recent MLB free agent period. Following an injury-riddled season that saw the club lose perennial powers in first baseman Mark Teixeira, shortstop Derek Jeter and third baseman Alex Rodriguez among others, New York higher-ups were set on drastically improving a club that finished the year 85-77, a record significantly below where the organization expects to be on a seasonal basis. With a surplus of funds at their disposal, general manager Brian Cashman didn’t waste time filling voids at key positions.
Inking former Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million deal was the first step in reloading and additional signings of outfielders Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury helped solidify New York’s line-up, but the club didn’t stop there. Landing one of the most sought after free agents on the market in Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka, the 27-time World Series champions felt confident that they’d bolstered a rotation already featuring CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda. Now that the roster is set following the spending of over $430 million during the offseason and a 1-2 opening road trip to Houston, the Yankees – and the rest of the baseball world – will finally see how Tanaka handles himself on one of the biggest stages in sports.
Signing a seven-year, $155 million deal with the Yankees in January, the 25-year-old right-hander – who posted an unblemished 24-0 record and 1.27ERA last season with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League – is now set to begin his MLB career at the Rogers Centre in Toronto against the American League East-rival Blue Jays. Though he’s looking forward to finally getting into action, Tanaka said recently that he’s had to curtail his excitement as to not get too hyped for his highly anticipated debut.
“My excitement level is getting up there,” he said through an interpreter. “It’s really hard to say. I’ll really have to feel it once I get up there on the mound. I feel honored that I’m getting this sort of attention. For me, it’s just going up on the mound and trying to get outs. I’m sure I will be amped up a little bit. But not to the point where I’m worried about that.”
Tanaka will be opposed by Dustin McGowan, who owns a career record of 20-24 with a 4.65 ERA in 6 seasons. Toronto split their season-opening four game set with the Tampa Bay Rays and should have no problem drawing fans for their home opener, especially since one of the most talked about rookies is set to take the mound for the opposition.
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Friday, April 4
TIME: 7:07pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: MLB Network / YES Network (New York) / SNET (Canada)
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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