Tanaka tanks in Yanks' season opener
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Masahiro Tanaka isn’t given to emotional extremes, so you’ll have to trust that he felt “a bit hyped up’’ during a dud of an opening day start.
Trudging off the Tropicana Field mound in Sunday’s third inning wasn’t the start he’d envisioned.
“From day one of spring training I was looking forward to this day and obviously wanted to give a strong a performance,’’ the Yankees ace said through an interpreter. “I just wasn’t able to do that.’’
Tanaka’s early exit and the new lineup’s old habits – stalling in run-producing spots – led to the Rays’ 7-3 win before a sellout crowd of 31,042.
That’s six straight opening day losses for the Yankees, establishing a new club record. They haven’t won a road opener since 2006, though Sunday’s initial jolt to the Yanks’ April optimism seemed a touch harsher.
Against Rays’ right-hander Chris Archer, the Yankees rolled out their youngest lineup in 25 years, with Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and Aaron Judge playing in their first openers. But then a newly-aligned Nos. 2 through six in the order - Sanchez, Bird, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury – went a combined 0-for-16.
And after a sensational spring training, Tanaka matched a career high by yielding seven runs in just 2.2 innings.
“Because it was the first game of the season, maybe I was a bit hyped up,’’ said Tanaka, who gave up eight hits and two walks. “I feel like I just didn’t have good control over myself.’’
Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison belted home runs and Morrison also delivered a two-run single in a three-run first inning.
Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild noticed that Tanaka’s velocity was up, a sign of over-throwing – flattening out his signature splitter and causing his fastball to stray to the middle.
“He’s not used to having quite that much adrenaline going,’’ Rothschild said. “And it might have gotten him off track a bit.’’
Archer (1-0) threw the season’s first pitch and kept dealing through seven innings, while Tanaka (0-1) had the second shortest start of his big-league career.
Leading up to his third straight Yankees opening day assignment, Tanaka had given up just one earned run in 23.2 innings on nine hits and five walks.
“I thought he commanded the ball well all spring,’’ Rothschild said. But on Sunday, “he just didn’t command anything.’’
Sunday marked Tanaka’s first career loss against Tampa Bay (he’s now 6-1 in nine starts). And the Yanks’ realigned lineup failed to fire against Archer, who at one point retired 14 of 15 Yankees he’d faced through six innings.
Aaron Judge’s RBI double was followed by Ronald Torreyes’s RBI groundout in the second, drawing the Yanks’ within 3-2 – which is as close as they’d get.
“He wasn’t as sharp as he usually is,’’ Sanchez said through his interpreter of catching Tanaka.
A throwing error by Sanchez on a bunt led to the Rays’ seventh run, but Sanchez had a chance to make things interesting in the seventh.
Batting with the bases loaded and two out, with the Rays up 7-2, Sanchez nearly missed dropping a three-run double to the opposite field before grounding out against a pumped-up Archer.
“Yeah, last (second) it kind of went right,’’ Sanchez said of his near-miss double. “But it is what it is.’’
After retiring Sanchez, the final batter he faced, Archer wildly pumped his right arm and knocked off his own cap.
And Tanaka has to stare at a 23.63 ERA until his next start, Saturday at Baltimore.
“He usually self-corrects very well,’’ Rothschild said, but not on Sunday. His advice to Tanaka? “Basically, forget it.’’