Yankees' Marcus Stroman ready for 'dream come true' home opener at Yankee Stadium

Remember the phony Marcus Stroman turns-down-Opening-Day-start controversy?

Neither does anyone else.

Not with the Yankees off to a franchise-tying-second-best start at 6-1.

That is the record they will haul into Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon as the Yankees so far have hastened the process of shoving the memory of 2023 out the balcony window.

And now Stroman, a native Long Islander and coming off a solid first outing in Houston, will start the home opener against the Blue Jays.

“Dream come true,” Stroman said. “Definitely beyond excited to pitch in front my family, my few family and friends I have there. And obviously, to grow up in New York, watching the Yankees, to be able to pitch a home opener in my career, I’m just very thankful and grateful. It’s a moment I feel I’ll never forget.”

Stroman, who starred at Patchogue-Medford High School, grew up neither a Mets nor a Yankees fan. Visits as a fan to the home ballparks weren’t all that frequent as he generally was busy with his own games growing up.

Still, Stroman is stoked.

The pitcher — whose father, sister, and step-mom are his lone remaining relatives on the Island — said the atmosphere provided by “the energy of the stadium and people” will produce “a moment I think I’ll remember forever.”

Not that Stroman, who has a career 3.64 ERA, will be distracted.

“I’m good at this, man,” Stroman said. “Staying calm is what I do. Been doing this for 10 years, I’m very dialed in mentally, very dialed in with my breath, very dialed in with my mental coach, therapist. I take care of myself all around. Not even from a sports perspective, but just from a life perspective. So I’m good. There’s nothing I can’t get through at this point of my life.”

Close your eyes.

Sound like another pitcher on the Yankees? Another pitcher with an obsession for preparation, both mental and physical, an eye and desire for detail in every aspect of his every-five-days routine?

“Just a pro,” Gerrit Cole said of Stroman. “This guy’s not leaning on anybody for anything, he takes ownership of all parts of his routine. He’s extremely disciplined to it. He could go pitch somewhere else [tomorrow]. Some guys [can’t]. It is [expletive] hard to come in here and just deliver right away.”

The “right away” was Stroman’s start last Saturday at Minute Maid Park against the Astros when the 32-year-old allowed three runs (all unearned), four hits and two walks over six innings in which he struck out four.

Cole ticked off some of the reasons why what Stroman did was so impressive.

“Like, ‘I have my own routine [from my previous team], the Yankees have their information, how do we blend that seamlessly? How do we optimize both sets of things?’” Cole said of what a player faces going into any new clubhouse. “How do I learn how to deal with the press? How do I learn how to meet new teammates? How do I learn about this and that? And [Stroman] all of a sudden comes out and delivers six excellent [expletive] innings, first one out. In Houston. That’s a pro, man. And it sets a tone in its own unique way. Like, we are very different individuals, and we have a lot of similarities at the same time.”

Including the anticipation that comes with taking the mound at Yankee Stadium in the home opener. But also the confidence knowing you can handle it.

“I’ve always been someone who has performed in moments, I’ve always been someone who has wanted the ball,” Stroman said. “I think a lot of individuals don’t want the ball. I think a lot of individuals don’t want to be in the spotlight and want to avoid it. I’ve never been there.

" I work extremely hard. At the end of the day, you want to be in pressure-filled moments, you want to compete at the highest level and have that pressure because that’s why I work as hard as I do in the offseason. That’s why I’m doing everything I can possibly do when I’m away from the field.

"Those moments make it fun. To be able to look back and to know that you had the confidence in those moments? That’s the kind of individual I’m trying to be.”