Masahiro Tanaka makes big statement to Yankees brass

The Yankees search for a postseason ace may be over. Masahiro Tanaka staked his claim to lead the rotation with a sparkling outing against the Mariners.

Luis Severino’s title as the ace of the Yankees staff is in serious danger. The way Masahiro Tanaka threw the ball against Seattle last night gives the Japanese veteran a great chance to become the team’s No. 1 starter for the postseason.

Tanaka’s outing was like manna from the heavens for Aaron Boone. The Yankees’ manager just admitted that the last 22 games of the campaign would determine the team’s probable Wild Card starter to reporters on Friday. To have one of his big name starters react so positively, so immediately, certainly exceeded Boone’s most optimistic expectations.

All Tanaka did against the Mariners was pitch eight innings of shutout ball with 10 strikeouts. His vicious split finger fastball kept batters off-balance all night long. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his outing is that he only threw 102 pitches. Tanaka is usually at his best when he can be economic with his pitch count.

Interestingly, Tanaka told reporters after the game that he didn’t feel like he had his “best stuff.” It’s a safe bet that Mariners hitters would disagree. They only looked like they were a threat to score in the sixth inning. Tanaka struck out former Yankee Robinson Cano to strand runners on the corners to snuff out the potential rally.

It will be interesting to see if Tanaka can build on this start to continue to dominate down the stretch. Boone isn’t in a position to give him the Wild Card start based on one outing in early September. If, on the other hand, he can string a few of these starts together, Tanaka can make it an easy decision for his manager.

At the very least, his sterling outing has put the rest of the staff on notice. Luis Severino clearly needs to rediscover his stuff from the first half of the season if he wants to be the team’s ace in the playoffs. Nothing about the way he’s thrown the ball lately gives the organization hope that a quick turnaround is on the horizon.

J.A. Happ is also under consideration, but this outing sets the bar for what he’ll need to do to earn the honor. He’s been steady for the Yankees down the stretch, but it’s unclear whether or not he can elevate his game when it really matters. Boone will be keeping a close eye on his veteran southpaw down the stretch.

For now, Tanaka has set the standard for the rest of the Yankees rotation. He didn’t win the title of postseason ace last night, but he made a strong statement that he’s the favorite to take the ball from Boone when it counts.