The New York Yankees are ready to take on the Houston Astros tonight in Game One of the American League Championship Series. Masahiro Tanaka was named the Yankees’ game one starter and Zack Greinke will be on the mound for the Astros.
“I felt like it was a good decision,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Tough one to be made, but similar to the Division Series, where I was going back and forth a lot. Just felt like Masa here in Game 1 is the way I wanted to go in the end.”
Tanaka, who is credited to a 1.54 ERA in the postseason, seems to turn on a switch come playoff time.
“One thing I can say is that we’ve been here in 2017,” said Tanaka. “We know what it’s like in here. So I think that experience will definitely help going into the game.”
Following Tanaka’s outing in Game One, James Paxton will be taking Game Two and Luis Severino has Game Three. The Houston Astros are sending Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander, and Gerrit Cole to the mound for Games one, two, and, three respectively.
“As far as facing the Houston lineup, obviously it’s going to be a challenge,” Tanaka said. “But you try not to do anything sort of different going into the game. You prepare for it. You make your plans, and basically you go out there and execute.”
Game one will be played in Houston at 8:08 PM EST. This is a highly anticipated series as these are the best teams in baseball, and most likely whoever wins this series will win the World Series.