Yankees' Sabathia, Teixeira ready to take stage
Yankees 2009 season, game by game
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BALTIMORE - The months-long wait to see if the Yankees' offseason moves will pay off is just about over. Today, the two biggest free-agent pickups - CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira - make their official debuts as Yankees in the season opener against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
The Yankees committed a total of 15 years and $341 million to the pair in the offseason, with Teixeira getting eight years and $180 million and Sabathia seven years and $161 million. With Sabathia as the Opening Day starter and Teixeira manning first and batting third in front of his hometown crowd, the Yankees will get a quick look.
"There's been a lot of anticipation about it," manager Joe Girardi said of seeing the new players. "This is what we've all been waiting for, to see them in action."
The Yankees hope the additions of Sabathia, Teixeira and A.J. Burnett will put them back in the playoffs after a one-year absence and propel them toward their first World Series appearance since 2003. That won't be easy, considering the level of competition within the Yankees' own division, namely the Red Sox and defending American League champion Rays. Some think they're the top three teams in the majors, but even if they are, one won't be making the postseason.
Optimism, but not overconfidence, was on display from the Yankees as they had a final pre-season workout at Camden Yards on a 65-degree afternoon yesterday.
"We know it's the toughest division," Sabathia said of the AL East, "but I think we have one of the best teams."
When asked if he thinks the Yankees have their best pitching staff in some time, Derek Jeter said: "I think so, on paper. We have some pretty good starters. We have guys that are capable of dominating people. You know, it's a challenge facing any one of them, one through five. For us, that's a good thing. In order to win, you need pitchers who can shut teams down, and we need that."
Last year, that rotation was lacking, particularly after Chien-Ming Wang went down in June with a season-ending Lisfranc ligament tear in his right foot.
The Yankees are far healthier this season, as Jorge Posada (rotator cuff), Hideki Matsui (knee) and Mariano Rivera (shoulder) have returned from surgery in good shape. The only player currently on the disabled list is Alex Rodriguez, who should return from hip surgery in late April or early May.
This afternoon's game, which starts at 4:05, will be about seeing what Sabathia, Teixeira and company can do. Sabathia said he hadn't spent too much time thinking about his first start but that he already was a bit nervous. That, he said, is a good thing.
"I always get nervous - you get nervous, kind of an anxious feeling," Sabathia said. "When I don't get nervous, I don't pitch that well."
The lefthander will face Orioles righthander Jeremy Guthrie. Sabathia has a decided advantage over just about any opposing starter, as he went a combined 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA last year for the Indians and Brewers. Sabathia, 28, will have his wife, Amber; his mom, Margie, and his son, CC III, in the stands.
This is just one game of 162, but Sabathia said the Yankees would like to win "just to set the tone for the season."
Posada said he believes he and Sabathia have established a good rhythm, as they worked together frequently during spring training. Posada is particularly excited about today's game, as he hasn't played in a game that counts since July. "It's been a long time," he said.
Teixeira may well have the biggest crowd on hand. He grew up in nearby Severna Park, attended high school in Baltimore and received contract offers from both the Orioles and Nationals before signing with the Yankees. Although Teixeira has long expressed a fondness for the Orioles, he viewed the Yankees as an organization more primed to win now.
"The most important thing to me is winning a championship," Teixeira said. " . . . I've never had any second thoughts."
Teixeira said several of his friends said "nasty things" to him after he signed with the Yankees, but he's not holding a grudge.
"I'm going to give them tickets,'' he said, "and they're going to boo me."
