The time has finally arrived for the return of baseball and Unhinged Yankees has you covered for all aspects of New York’s Opening Day coverage.
- New York Yankees (0-0)
- Toronto Blue Jays (0-0)
- American League, 3:37 p.m. ET, YES Network
- Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
It’s the beginning of the baseball season and the New York Yankees are surely itching to get their season started. They will begin the season earlier today in Toronto to begin the season against the Blue Jays.
This afternoon, Aaron Boone will manage his first ever regular season game and the ball off to Luis Severino at the Rogers Centre.
In 2017, Severino proved himself to be the Yankees ace with a remarkable season which placed him third in American League Cy Young voting. He went 14-6 in 31 starts while sporting a 2.98 ERA with a 10.7 K/9.
In seven career starts against the Blue Jays, the right-hander is 0-3 with a 5.52 ERA. These are certainly numbers Severino will look to put behind him heading into his first ever Opening Day start.
Pitching for the Blue Jays will be veteran left-hander J.A. Happ, who has had a fair amount of success against the Bronx Bombers over his lengthy major league career.
In 16 career starts against New York, Happ is 8-2 while sporting a 3.51 ERA. However, Happ will now be facing a Yankees lineup which includes the three-headed monster of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez.
Lineups:
Your 2018 #Yankees Opening Day lineup:
1. Brett Gardner, LF
2. Aaron Judge, RF
3. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
4. Gary Sanchez, C
5. Aaron Hicks, CF
6. Didi Gregorius, SS
7. Brandon Drury, 3B
8. Neil Walker, 2B
9. Tyler Austin, 1BLuis Severino, RHP
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 28, 2018
Player To Watch:
Giancarlo Stanton
There will be one man who all eyes will be planted on in the Yankees regular season opener and that will surely be Giancarlo Stanton.
Nobody in baseball has been talked about more this offseason than Stanton after coming over to the Yankees in a trade from the Marlins. Expect the bright lights to be focused specifically on the big man later today.
Stanton has the potential to have a huge game, especially considering he was a lefty-killer last season in his MVP campaign. In 126 at-bats last season against left-handed pitchers, Stanton slashed .325/.452/.770 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs.
It’s Only The Beginning:
This is only the very beginning of what has the potential to be a monumental season for the New York Yankees and their fans. It is set to be a thrillride that fans have been looking forward to since last season ended in Game Seven heartbreak.
The expectations are set higher than ever for the Bronx Bombers in 2018 and they certainly have the ability to live up to the hype.
However, only time will tell how they deal with once again having a target on their backs and trying to overtake the Boston Red Sox as American League East champions.