Tanaka Gives Struggling Yankees Just What They Need
Masahiro Tanaka made his debut in the Subway Series on Wednesday at the most opportune time for the Yankees. Their pitching staff was in tatters, their spirits at a season low after a four-game losing streak, and their bullpen weary from a heavy workload. So who better to pull the Yankees out of their funk than the rookie from Japan who never seems to lose?
Tanaka has not lost a regular-season game since Aug. 26, 2012, when he was in Japan, and the Mets were not capable of halting his intercontinental run of success. He dominated a mostly overmatched lineup, earning his first shutout as the Yankees finally beat the Mets, 4-0, at Citi Field.
Tanaka pitched nine sterling innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight with 114 pitches. The shutout was the first for the Yankees.
Yangervis Solarte, a rookie who is emerging as the Yankees' most valuable position player, hit his fourth home run, Mark Teixeira hit his eighth and Brian Roberts had two triples to propel the Yankees' offense in a game the team felt it had to win.
Even Tanaka, a poor hitter, managed a hit in the top of the ninth. It was his first in Major League Baseball. Rafael Montero, making his major league debut for the Mets, was 0 for 1, leaving Mets pitchers 0 for 64, extending their record of futility.
The Yankees had experienced futility in recent years against the Mets. Wednesday's win was the first time the Yankees had beaten them since 2012, breaking a six-game losing streak. The victory somewhat soothed the news the Yankees got earlier about C. C. Sabathia, one of their three starting pitchers on the disabled list.
A degenerative knee problem was diagnosed in Sabathia, casting doubt about when he can come back to help the Yankees' rotation.
Ivan Nova is out for the season after elbow surgery, and Michael Pineda is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his upper back, near his right shoulder.
Shawn Kelley, one of the Yankees' principal relief pitchers, is on the D.L. with a strained lower back, and Preston Claiborne, Alfredo Aceves and Matt Daley were unavailable after throwing the night before, putting more pressure on Tanaka to not only to pitch well, but to pitch deep into the game.
Hiroki Kuroda is healthy, but not pitching up to his usual standards, leaving Tanaka as the Yankees' best bet to win a game. He did, improving to 6-0 and is unbeaten in his last 42 regular-season starts dating to when he was with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. He is 34-0 in that stretch in the regular season, with his only defeat coming in a complete-game loss in Game 6 of the Japan Series.
'He's been great for us all year long,' Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said before the game. 'We need to stop this losing streak and start winning some games, and he's a good guy to have on the mound for that.'
The Mets hit a total of six home runs Monday and Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, which has a much smaller outfield than the vast acreage at Citi Field. Asked before the game what the Mets needed to do to keep their home run streak going, Manager Terry Collins had one idea.
'Uh, we've got to move the fences in about 25 feet,' he said.
With Tanaka pitching, even that might not have been enough.
The Mets also had a rookie on the mound, Montero, who showed poise in his first start. One of several young pitching prospects for the Mets, Montero did not dazzle, but he showed he belonged on a major league mound, even if he took the loss after allowing three runs and five hits in six innings.
One of the runs could have been avoided, though. Montero walked Solarte with two outs in the second, then watched as Eric Young Jr. botched Roberts's ball and Solarte scampered home.
Solarte, who was 1 for 3, came into the game batting .336 and had a team-high 22 runs batted in. Young needlessly dived on the first of Roberts's triples and the pitcher due up next. The ball got behind him, and Solarte scored easily from first base.
The Yankees also scored using small-ball techniques in the seventh. With two outs, Brett Gardner singled, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Then Derek Jeter hit a slow tapper to the mound and beat the throw to first, allowing Gardner to score.
The series finale is Thursday, when both teams are scheduled to send out pitchers making their major league debuts. Chase Whitley will pitch for the Yankees against Jacob deGrom.
INSIDE PITCH
Carlos Beltran was still feeling pain in his right elbow but the swelling had subsided somewhat Wednesday. The Yankees are waiting to see if a cortisone shot will alleviate the pain and inflammation caused by a bone spur in the elbow.
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