Yankees at Blue Jays
Giancarlo Stanton lived up to the hype and then some in his New York Yankees debut, needing only two pitches to show he won't have much trouble making the transition to the American League. Stanton will have a tough act to follow as the Yankees attempt to build on their first Opening Day win since 2011 when they continue a four-game series Friday at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Stanton, who led the majors with 59 home runs with the Miami Marlins in 2017, went deep on the second pitch he saw and also homered in the ninth to cap a 3-for-5 day with four RBIs and punctuate New York's 6-1 victory. "Wow," said Yankees slugger and reigning AL home run champ Aaron Judge in marveling at the display by Stanton that pushed his career numbers at Rogers Centre to a staggering 9-for-16 with five blasts in four career games. Toronto already has plenty to worry about aside from the offensive futility that produced two hits -- third baseman Josh Donaldson bounced a number of throws to first base, which manager John Gibbons attributed to a dead arm. "I've been feeling it a little bit all spring," Donaldson said. "I don't have any pain or anything like that, which is always good. It's just about getting the strength back."
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), Sportsnet, TVAS (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (2017: 13-12, 4.74 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (2017: 1-3, 4.25)
Although he won at least 12 games for the fourth straight season, Tanaka spent too much of 2017 looking over his shoulder as he surrendered 35 home runs. However, he closed the year on a high note, allowing two runs and zero homers over his last four turns, including the postseason. One of those was a 15-strikeout, three-hit masterpiece against the Blue Jays on Sept. 29 after he allowed eight runs in Toronto one week earlier.
Sanchez had a sensational 2016 season, compiling a 15-2 mark and 3.00 ERA, but he won only once last year as recurring blister issues limited him to only eight starts. The 25-year-old Californian did not have any such issues with blisters in spring training and closed out the preseason by permitting one run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings versus Atlanta. Sanchez made three starts against New York in 2016, going 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. Stanton joined Roger Maris (1960) as the only players with multiple homers in their first game with the Yankees.
2. The Blue Jays placed SS Troy Tulowitzki (heel bone spurs) on the 60-day disabled list.
3. New York's bullpen allowed one run on one hit while recording five strikeouts and zero walks in 3 1/3 innings.