With the final opener in Yankee Stadium postponed until today, Toronto ace Roy Halladay will have to wait an extra day to step to the mound and into history.
But Halladay won’t miss his opportunity despite warming up before yesterday’s rains arrived.
“He’ll be ready to go. Everything will stay the same,” said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “If there’s one guy you know is going to be ready, it’s him.”
Today will mark a team-record sixth Opening Day start for Halladay, and chances are none will be one more memorable than the final one in Yankee Stadium. It’s a game all the Blue Jays said they’re honored to play.
“It’s the most historic park anyone’s ever had,” Gibbons said. “It’s an honor to be here. It’s a big day. We just hope the baseball gods aren’t on their side.”
Halladay, the 2003 AL Cy Young winner, will try to snap the Bombers’ club-record string of 10 straight Opening Day victories, the longest active run in baseball. He is 2-2 on Opening Day and 10-4 lifetime against the Yankees.
More important for the 30-year-old right-hander – who said his Blue Jays need to show an “urgency to win” – he’ll try to set a winning tone for a club that’s finished third in the AL East eight times in the last 10 years.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve gained more confidence [and] brought some guys in that are going to help us. There’s more expectation this year, and I think that should be the case,” Halladay said.
“We have to start out having that attitude that we’re going to be there [in the end] and start taking on that mentality.
“It’s just more important for us,” Halladay added. “We’re past the building process, past the process of seeing how well we can do, and we’re at the point where we need to start winning. We have a more positive outlook from day one.”
Day one begins at 7:05 tonight against Chien-Ming Wang, a duel of groundball aces.
“He’s proved himself to be one of the best pitchers. It’s going to be a challenge for our hitters. Fortunately, I don’t have to face him,” Halladay said. “It’s fun to pitch in these types of games.”
