Yankees righthander Masahiro Tanaka won't change approach for his Opening Day start
Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka looks on from the field during a workout at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Masahiro Tanaka said he’ll approach Thursday afternoon as he would a “regular season” game, though he knows any Opening Day feels a bit different.
“Definitely the nerves, the tension is getting higher,” Tanaka said through his translator Wednesday afternoon at a news conference before the Yankees worked out at the Stadium. “You can just tell by how many people are in here in this room. A lot of eyes on this game. I’m looking forward to it, but as far as how I spend the next 24 hours, I’ll just take it as a regular season game and try not to [look at it] as something out of the norm.”
Tanaka, who will face Baltimore’s Andrew Cashner in the season-opener for both teams, is getting the start because Luis Severino will start the season on the injured list with rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder.
Tanaka, entering his sixth season with the Yankees, started the season opener from 2015-17, going 0-2 with a 9.49 ERA.
Bird, Voit both in
Boone said Greg Bird and Luke Voit, who both performed well all spring in the competition for the starting job at first base and who both made the roster out of camp because of the injury to Aaron Hicks, will start Thursday. Bird will be at first, Voit at DH. Boone said not to read too much into it and that Voit is likely to play first in the second game. Voit, considered the weaker defender of the two, spent his winter working on his defense and Boone said his plan for now is not to sub late in games for the righty power hitter.
“I think he’s good to go there,” Boone said. “I don’t anticipate doing that.”
From the trainer’s room
Aaron Hicks (lower back) still hasn’t started baseball activities but ran on the treadmill Wednesday. “We feel like he’s moving in the right direction,” Boone said . . . Boone said Dellin Betances (right shoulder impingement) “feels really good” and that he, along with Severino, should both be ready to get on the mound to throw bullpen sessions this weekend. Severino, who started a throwing program last week on flat ground, was extended to 120 feet Wednesday.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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