After a long cold winter, baseball is finally back in the Bronx. Hiroki Kuroda (0-1, 3.00 ERA) gets the home opener honors against Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 6.00 ERA.)Â Kuroda gets the ball for the home opener after being one of the team’s most reliable starters in 2013. He got the season off to a good start on April 2, holding the Astros to two runs over six innings, but couldn’t get any run support.
In his season debut against Boston, Jimenez was done in by a pair of homers. He is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two career starts at Yankee Stadium. Buck Showalter said he’s looking forward to seeing Jimenez pitch now that his season debut is behind him. “But it’s going to be tough environment, Opening Day at Yankee Stadium,” Showalter said. “Compared to Opening Day at Camden Yards, which one do you think is tougher? I think our place, I think the expectation of pitching well at our place. I want him to feel like he’s playing with house money. Nobody is expecting him to win; they feel like that’s going to be a real challenge. I think it’s tougher for professional athletes when they are expected to do well. I think Ubaldo expects to do well every time out.”
It is Derek Jeter‘s final home opener, and you know the Yankees aren’t going to make it just another day, this one is special. The festivities are set to kick off at 12:30pm. The first pitch(es) are going to be thrown out by none other than Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. Catching those pitches will Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, the Core Four reunited.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen,” Jeter said of the fans’ reaction. “Fans have always treated me good throughout my career. I don’t know what it’s going to feel like, what the atmosphere will be like. I hope we have good weather, but I have no idea.” Jeter said that his parents will be in attendance for his final home opener. No matter what happens in the game, it promises to add yet another memorable afternoon to a long list of Jeterian memories. “It almost doesn’t feel like the season is underway until you get to your home opener,” Jeter said. “Especially missing last year, I’m looking forward to this one.”
Brian Roberts played the first 13 seasons of his career in Orioles orange, so the veteran knows it will feel a little strange to see so many familiar faces on the third base line during Monday’s pregame introductions. “To look over on the other side and see all of my buddies over there, it’s going to be very different,” Roberts said. “Spring Training was one thing, but when you strap it on in the regular season. I don’t know what it’s going to be like. I don’t know how weird it is going to be to see it and experience it in person, I guess.”
Notes on the game
The Yankees won 10 of the 19 meetings against Baltimore last season.
Brett Gardner‘s home run in Sunday’s win in Toronto was the Yankees’ first of the season.
First pitch at 1:05 PM on YES
