Tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET the New York Yankees (1-2) will have most of MLB's eyes trained on them against the Toronto Blue Jays (2-2), as prized free agent pickup Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his debut against Dustin McGowan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) in a game that can be live streamed here. Yankees fans can find the radio broadcast on 101.9 WFAN FM, while Blue Jays fans can hear the action on SN590.
"I would think there will be a ton of attention on (Tanaka) tomorrow, just because of what he did last year in Japan, the contract he signed, who he signed it with and it being opening day in Toronto," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Tanaka isn't shying away from the attention either, saying through his interpreter "I feel honored that I'm getting this sort of attention. For me, it's just going up on the mound and trying to get outs."
The Yankees removed a little bit of the pressure from him by finally getting into the win column vs. the Houston Astros, but chances are Tanaka will be able to handle it. "From what I watched -- I watched his tapes and stuff -- this was a guy that knew how to pitch," Girardi said.
"I don't put expectations as far as wins, but I do think of him as a guy who knows how to pitch. I think he's going to do well."
McGowan is getting second billing tonight, but his story is intriguing as well. Once a major prospect in Toronto's system, McGowan's career has been devastated by a string of injuries-he hasn't started a game in 2.5 years.
"I'm going to be jacked up. I'm excited," McGowan said. "I keep thinking about it every day and I know when that day gets here it's going to be special, and I'm going to be ready for it. I'll have to calm myself down but it's good to have it pumping sometimes, gives you a little bit extra sometimes."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
