Masahiro Tanaka dazzles for six innings, Yankees’ bottom of the order delivers in win over Blue Jays

TORONTO — Masahiro Tanaka’s spring training didn’t inspire confidence he’d put a subpar 2017 behind him.

Still, the righthander, who started three straight season openers as the Yankees unquestioned ace before Luis Severino wrested that away from him with his stellar 2017, maintained all was well.

“I feel like I’m in a good place right now,” Tanaka said on the eve of his first start of 2018.

The righthander was on to something.

Backed by big nights from bottom-of-the-order hitters Brandon Drury and Tyler Wade, Tanaka threw six dominant innings against the Blue Jays in a 4-2 victory Friday night in front of 33,716 at Rogers Centre.

Tanaka, coming off a season in which he pitched well down the stretch, including the postseason, but still finished 13-12 with a 4.74 ERA while allowing a career-worst 35 homers, allowed one run and three hits over six innings.

“You always want to start off on a good note,” Tanaka said through his translator. “So I feel a little bit relieved right now.”

Tanaka allowed five homers in four spring starts in which he posted a 7.24 ERA. But he was a different pitcher Friday night.

Most impressive for Tanaka — who struck out eight and did not walk a batter — was that he did not feel he had great stuff, other than his slider. Nonetheless, after allowing a two-out double in the second to Kevin Pillar, Tanaka retired the final 13 hitters he faced.

“I don’t think he necessarily had his best split tonight or even his best stuff for that matter,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But to be able to go out there and still be in command, control the game . . . I thought it was a really quality effort by a mature, really good pitcher.”

Said Tanaka: “The off-speed stuff, it wasn’t really coming out of the hand right, I was having a tough time controlling it. Gradually as we went deeper in the game, I felt like I was able to adjustment. Being able to make adjustments during the game I’ll take that as a plus today.”

The Yankees’ big three righty sluggers of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, which went a combined 6-for-14 with two home runs, three doubles and five RBIs in Thursday’s opener, went 0-for-12 with four strikeouts Friday.

No matter. Others in the lineup picked them up, starting with third baseman and No. 8 hitter Brandon Drury, who drove in the club’s first two runs.

Wade, the No. 9 hitter who had poor at-bats his first two times up, knocked Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez from the game his third time to the plate. He roped a two-out, base-loaded double to right-center in the sixth to make it 4-1. Didi Gregorius tripled and doubled in the game.

“It’s deep, it’s a special lineup for sure,” Drury said. “One through nine is dangerous, the whole way through. We’re excited about it and just looking to keep it rolling.”

Tommy Kahnle pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and David Robertson chipped in a scoreless two-thirds of a frame, setting up Aroldis Chapman. The closer struck out the first two in the ninth before Steve Pearce hit a pinch-hit double and former Yankee Yangervis Solarte doubled him in. That brought Randal Grichuk — who homered off Tanaka in the second to tie it at 1 — to the plate as the tying run. After falling behind 2-and-0, Chapman struck out Grichuk looking to end it for his first save.

Drury’s opposite-field RBI double off the wall in the second made it 1-0 and he came through again in the fourth with a two-out RBI single that brought in Gregorius, who doubled to lead off, making it 2-1.

“Big hits up and down,” Boone said. “Wader comes through with a huge hit, Drury was on point all night. Really nice to see everyone kind of chip in in a win and the bullpen finish it off for us.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

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.