New York Yankees Preview: Tonight is Opening Day for the Yankees and Nationals

For the New York Yankees, today is the day some thought would never come. It’s Opening Day for baseball with the New York Yankees facing the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital at 7 pm eastern.

Game one in the series will see the Yankees new pitching ace Gerrit Cole face the Nationals ace, Max Scherzer.  The two premier pitchers are sure to put on a good effort to win the first game of the 60 game coronavirus shortened season. The Nationals were last year’s World Champions going 5-0 in potential elimination games in the playoffs and outlasting the Houston Astros in a memorable Game 7.

Today’s Game One:  Gerrit Cole vs. Max Scherzer

This is the moment today at 7 pm; the New York Yankees fans have been waiting over seven months to see.  Pitching ace Gerrit Cole will take on Max Scherzer on this Opening Day.  Cole was first drafted by the Yankees in 2008, but he did not sign.  Cole then went on to college, played five years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and another two years where he shared the ace name with Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.

During the winter meetings, the Yankees made an all or nothing attempt to sign Cole out of the free agency. Some special bottles of wine, Andy Pettitte and an offer of $324MM got the deal done.  Tonight the twelve-year pursuit of Cole comes to an end when Cole will take the mound in the nationals capital.

But first Nationals ace Max Scherzer will take the mound in the top of the first inning.  He will do it as the reigning World Champion.  The elder Scherzer is a sure-fire contender for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Last season he pitched through pain to a 2.40 ERA in six postseason appearances. The Nats won every game he pitched in the playoffs, including Game 7 of the World Series. Cole is 29. Scherzer is 36 next week.

Cole had a 20 game winning season last year and pitched to an incredible 2.50 ERA.  He beat the Yankees in the 2019 ALCS.  He pitched well in spring training in Tampa and was in complete control in summer camp. For the Yankees, this is the most anticipated debut since Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens.  Tonight may be the most exciting baseball Opening Day in recent years.  Later in the evening, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face the San Francisco Giants.

As a side note, the infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw out the first pitch in a baseball season that may very well feature some strange happenings. Game one will be broadcast on ESPN.

Game Two Saturday: James Paxton will face Stephen Strasburg

Game two on Saturday evening will be another exciting match up.  James Paxton will face the pitching sensation, Stephen Strasburg.  Paxton last year went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.28 WHIP for the Yankees, which looks good, but fans will be watching early on where Paxton had some problems early in games.  Paxton at the end of the season went 11-1 with a 3.32 ERA.  Paxton will want to win it or keep the Yankees in the game, as he will reach free agency after the season. The game will be televised on FOX.

Game three Sunday:  TBD vs Patrick Corbin

Who will start for the New York Yankees is up in the air at the moment.  Masahiro Tanaka was slated to start Sunday’s game, but that was before he was hit in the head by a comebacker off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton in a summer camp sim game. Tanaka is under concussion protocol and is progressing well having pitched 20 pitches against live batting on Tuesday but most likely will not pitch on Sunday

Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, or Michael King may face Corbin.  Chad Green was used last year as an “opener”, winning 11 of 12 starts.  Corbin is a veteran pitcher for the Nationals. Last season he pitched to a 3.25 ERA in his first season with the Nationals.  The Yankees have faced Corbin before in his breakout season in 2013. He pitched seven innings allowing only run by the Yankees when he was a Diamondback.

It may seem strange for the Yankees to have a bullpen game when other pitchers are available, but by doing so they keep all the other pitchers including Cole on normal rest.

These three games between the New York Yankees and the Nationals may be telling as the Nationals may be the toughest challenge for the Yankees entering this short season where winning every game will be so important. Sunday’s day game will be broadcast on the TBS Network.

 

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