New York Yankees make Masahiro Tanaka the Opening Day starter

The New York Yankees will have a new Opening Day starter in 2015, with Masahiro Tanaka getting the nod over C.C. Sabathia

Looking for a slight change in fortune after missing the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the New York Yankees have decided to get things off on a different foot and named Masahiro Tanaka their Opening Day starter. The team announced their starting rotation via Twitter on Friday.

Tanaka made his Major League Baseball debut last season, when he went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA, 3.04 FIP, and 9.3 K/9 ratio after signing a 7-year, $155 million pact with the Yankees. Along the way, he made an appearance in the All-Star Game and finished 5th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

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Things were not all sunshine and daisies for Tanaka either. The right-hander was shut-down after a July 8th start with a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. However, he was able to avoid the dreaded Tommy John surgery and made his return to the mound on September 21st. He would go one to make two starts down the stretch, but was not the same pitcher, surrendering 8 runs (6 earned) over just 7 innings over work in September.

After a winter of rest and rehab, Tanaka has returned to the mound strong this spring. He’s earned the Opening Day nod on the back of 10.1 innings, allowing just 3 runs (2 earned), fanning 12 hitters, and walking just one. Given the questions marks surrounding the health of Masahiro Tanaka heading into Spring Training, the Yankees have to be more than encouraged by the results they have seen thus far.

The Yankees have a lot riding on the health of Tanaka’ right arm, especially with Sabathia himself also coming back from knee surgery and Michael Pineda having his own share of health (and pine tar) issues a season ago. Of course, the question will be whether rehab was the best course of action for Tanaka’s elbow, or whether he should have undergone Tommy John surgery like Yu Darvish, which of course would have cost him most of the 2015 season.

The Yankees open their 2015 season at home against the division rival Toronto Blue Jays on April 6th. After Tanaka gets the ball on Monday night, he’ll be followed by Michael Pineda and C.C. Sabathia, who has been the Opening Day starter since 2009, in the finale. The Blue Jays have not yet named their starting rotation, but right-hander Drew Hutchison is expected to get the ball in game one and R.A. Dickey in game two.

(h/t Sports Illustrated)

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