YANKS READY TO TRY AGAIN
Barring more inclement weather, or a cruel April Fool’s joke, the Yankees will play their last Opening Day in the current Yankee Stadium tonight against the Blue Jays, after yesterday afternoon’s scheduled game was postponed due to rain.
It was the first Opening Day postponed at Yankee Stadium since 2003.
Tonight’s game will mark the second Opening Day game played at night at Yankee Stadium. The other evening premiere was a 9-2 win over the Red Sox in 2005.
“It’s obviously not the way you want to start. You’d like to have Opening Day instead of Opening Night,” Brian Cashman said to the Associated Press. “But you do what you’ve got to do. It’s still going to be Opening Day.”
Last year’s American League MVP, Alex Rodriguez, said to AP, “It’s obviously a little anticlimactic. You want to get the first one in.”
Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound for the Yankees in his first attempt to rebound from a pair of horrendous postseason outings. He’ll face former Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.
Wang, the only perceived sure thing on a Yankees pitching staff defined by age, either having too much or too little, went 0-2 with a 19.06 ERA in last year’s AL Division Series loss to the Indians.
Hearing that it took Wang over a month to get over his meltdown, new Yankees manager Joe Girardi said to AP, “I’m glad it took him a month. It told me he really cares. I think he will continue to improve.”
Girardi’s managing debut with the Yankees marks the first Opening Day without Joe Torre at the helm for the Bombers since 1995. The new skipper will try to continue the Yankees’ franchise-best 10 straight Opening Day wins, also the majors’ longest active streak.
With a $1.3 billion stadium across the street ready for play next season, are the Yankees ready to say goodbye to their home that opened in 1923?
“There’s so many memories here that go beyond baseball. It’ll probably be emotional,” Derek Jeter said to AP about the stadium’s last season. “I really don’t know what to expect. I’m sure you’ll take a look around and try to remember as many things as you can. It’s going to be a special year.”
