J.A. Happ was disappointed not to start for the Yankees in the Wild Card Game, but now he’ll get the chance to face Boston in Game 1 of the Division Series.
Aaron Boone made a tough choice in starting Luis Severino for the Wild Card Game. Selecting a starter for Game 1 in Boston wasn’t a picnic either. In the end, the Yankees manager has made another challenging, but correct decision.
The team announced that veteran left hander J.A. Happ will take the mound to start the Series in Fenway Park on Friday night. The decision to start Happ likely means that Masahiro Tanaka will be in line to start Game 2.
In fairness, this decision was much less controversial than going with Severino on Wednesday night. Happ has been excellent since he arrived in the Bronx. He’s gone 7-0 with an ERA of just 2.69 in 11 starts since coming over from Toronto.
Boone and company will expect him to have another strong outing to open the ALDS.
Happ also made this choice pretty easy for Boone given the way he’s pitched in the postseason during his career. He’s appeared in 11 playoff games throughout his career with four starts. \
Pitching in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will certainly give him some butterflies, but he has the experience to settle down quickly.
The fact that he’s left-handed also played a role in Boone’s thinking. Southpaws have experienced more success against the Red Sox than their right-handed counterparts this season.
Specifically, lefties like Happ can really help slow down J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi. Both players do much better against right-handed opponents.
Of course, Happ may need to put in a dominant outing to keep his team in the game against Boston. The Red Sox will send Chris Sale to the hill.
He comes into the game with serious questions about where his stuff stands at the moment, but he has the talent to produce a dominant outing. The Yankees will prepare for him as if he’s coming into the game on a roll.
They can’t afford to underestimate one of the most talented pitchers in the game.
Even if Severino was ready to go again, it’s very likely the Yankees would have selected Happ to start the Series. He’s got the right combination of stuff and experience to spin a quality outing against the Red Sox lineup.
It’ll be up to Happ to get the Yankees off to a much-needed good start against their arch rivals.