This afternoon at 1:07 pm, pitching sensation Deivi Garcia will retake the mound for the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, in Boston. The Yankees will be going after their 11th win in a row. New York has beaten Boston 12 straight times dating to last season, tying the Yankees’ longest winning streak in baseball’s most historic rivalry. Tonight the Bronx Bombers will try to create a new record number of consecutive wins against the Red Sox.
Today, even just past the noon hour, the game will be played with an Autumn chill in the air. The 1:07 start time will see a temperature in the upper ’50s, with a brisk NorthEast wind of about 15mph. The players will get some relief from the chill with bright sunny skies. The game today will be televised on the YES Network, NESN in New England, and nationally on the Turner Broadcast System.
Today the Yankees will face the Boston Sox pitcher Tanner Houck. Houck is a Red Sox rookie, who just made his major league debut in a game that he pitched strongly, against the Miami Marlins, going five innings of shut out ball while striking out seven Marlins. Today, he will have his first start at Fenway Park and participate in the most famous baseball rivalry. The pressure on the young man will be immense, as he tries to keep the Yankees from winning a record 13 straight games against his team. Houck is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. No Yankee has ever faced Houck.
“Ever since I got drafted, it’s been a goal of mine to pitch at Fenway,†Houck said before Saturday night’s 8-0 setback against the New York Yankees. “It’s such a historical park. It’s truly an honor to get the start tomorrow.â€
When Houck takes the mound, he will face one of the most powerful and dangerous lineups in baseball. He will have to duel with the New York Yankees most significant pitching prospect in years, in Deivi Garcia, who, in his short season, has made a statement that he is a pitcher to be contended with. Garcia is coming off two starts that the Yankees won. In both games, hit pitched seven innings while striking out six opponents in both games. The Yankees rookie has a special attachment to Fenway Park. His pitching idol is Pedro Martinez; today, he will take the mound that Martinez used to pitch his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Yankee magic number is one, to clinch a postseason berth. The Yankees started the season 8-1 but then took a dramatic slide winning only 5 of 20 games. Since then, the Bronx Bombers have come roaring back, including two series sweeps. The Yankees will hope to make that three sweeps in a row today. After today, the Yankees will travel back to Buffalo to face the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series. They swept the Jays in their last meeting. After that series, the Yankees will end their regular season back at Yankee Stadium for a three-game set against Derek Jeter’s Miami Marlins.