Tonight at 8:05 p.m. ET the New York Yankees (23-20) will try to battle through their myriad injuries at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs (15-27) for a quick two-game interleague set. Live stream the matchup by clicking this link; Yankees fans may find the radio broadcast on 101.9 WFAN, while Cubs fans can listen to the action on WGN 720. The Yankees will throw Masahiro Tanaka (6-0, 2.17 ERA) at the Cubbies, who are countering with Jason Hammel (4-2, 3.06 ERA).
The Cubs have seen Tanaka already this season, and whether or not he'll be able to maintain his torrid run through the MLB slate will begin being tested now. "It helps," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of facing Tanaka a second time. "Now he's thrown quite a few games. He's a guy we definitely have to make sure we get the ball up."
His first time against the Cubs wasn't a walk in the park for them-he pitched a complete game shutout. In fact, the Yanks have a chance to shut out the Cubs for a third straight time, which would be their first time shutting out one opponent three consecutive times in the same season since 1972.
"Basically, I'll just try to carry that on to the next game," Tanaka said of his unbeaten streak that has stretched to 34-0 dating back to his days with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles franchise. "It's not always going to be perfect, but that's what you're trying to aim for."
More astonishing than Tanaka's record in the big leagues has been his control and deception. He arrived in the United States with a well-known reputation for throwing a splitter that dives out of the strike zone. Armed with that knowledge, MLB hitters have still struck out 66 times against the Yanks' new ace, while walking only seven times.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
