NEW YORK -- The Yankees gave the ball to Masahiro Tanaka for three consecutive season openers beginning in 2015, a trio of efforts that produced underwhelming results. Rather than focus on those outings gone wrong, the right-hander opted to revisit his terrific 2017 postseason performance, a decision that helped begin his new year on a winning note.
Taking the ball at the center of a breezy but festive Yankee Stadium decorated with red, white and blue bunting, Tanaka was in command of an inexperienced Orioles lineup, scattering six hits while pitching into the sixth inning of the Yanks' 7-2 Opening Day victory on Thursday in the Bronx.
"I think it was an ideal way to go about a game, as far as pitching goes," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "The relievers did a really good job of shutting down the game. It was really good to see. For me, I really want to go out there and stay in as long as possible, and pitch in a way that I can always contribute to the team's win."
Striking out five without a walk, Tanaka permitted two runs (one earned), with Baltimore scoring on Rio Ruiz's fourth-inning single and Trey Mancini's sixth-inning double. The latter came on Tanaka's 83rd pitch, drawing manager Aaron Boone from the dugout with two outs in the frame.
As Boone lifted his right arm to trigger Adam Ottavino's Yankees debut, the crowd of 46,928 saluted Tanaka warmly, which the hurler acknowledged with a cap tip. Tanaka was the first Yanks Opening Day starter to record at least five strikeouts without a walk since Jim "Catfish" Hunter in 1977.
Boone said that once staff ace Luis Severino was sidelined with a right shoulder injury, Tanaka became the natural choice to start the opener.
"I always feel good about giving the ball to Masa in any big situation," Boone said. "I feel like he's typically even a little bit better when it's ramped up a little bit. Overall, I felt Masa commanded his emotions really well, controlled the moment. He does all those little things so well, controlling the running game, fielding his position. A good start for him."
Tanaka's four Opening Day starts are the most ever by a Japanese pitcher, surpassing Hideo Nomo's three, but Thursday is the first that he will recall fondly. Tanaka had allowed 13 earned runs over 12 1/3 season-opening innings (9.49 ERA) against the Blue Jays (2015), Astros ('16) and Rays ('17).
He said that Luke Voit's three-run home run in the first inning provided "a big boost," a cushion that the Yankees added to in the third inning when a fourth run scored on Miguel Andújar's double-play grounder. But Tanaka said that he also found some assistance in the folds of his personal history.
"I think, obviously, the three previous Opening Day starts did help me," Tanaka said. "For me, the biggest thing was going through the 2017 season. It was really an up-and-down season for me, and we were able to experience going deep into the playoffs. Just being able to pitch in the playoffs as well, I think more so than anything, that experience really helped me become a better pitcher -- just go out there and do what I did today."