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(NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) in action against the during the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 6, 2015 in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York. The Astros defeated the Yankees 3-0.

Yankees Opening Day 2016 preview

We made it Bronx Faithful. After Mother Nature felt it necessary to postpone Opening Day, Yankee baseball is finally back! Masahiro Tanaka gets Opening Day honors for the second consecutive year and will take on Dallas Keuchel in a Wild Card Game rematch. Tanaka had a poor spring going 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA in 4 starts. He averaged 13.1 hit per 9 innings and 2.5 homers per 9 innings, but only walked 2 batters. He was 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 2015.

Keuchel is coming off his Cy Young season where he went 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA and pretty much owned the Yankees. He was 3-0 in 3 starts, including the Wild Card Game, and gave up zero runs, 12 hits, 2 walks and struck out 28 over 22 innings.

“It’s fitting coming off the wild card game. It’s a similar matchup from the last time we played there,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think for us the 40-50-degree weather will be a change, but the magnitude of playing the New York Yankees on opening day should be pretty fun for these guys.”

Brett Gardner was absent from the original lineup that was announced before the postponement and will most likely still be on the bench. He went 0-4 in the Wild Card Game and Aaron Hicks hit .307 against lefties last season, so look for him out in left.

Chase Headley has the most at bats against Keuchel, hitting .231 in 13 AB with a homer and 3 RBI.

 

Tidbits:

The Yankees are 63-49-1 all time on Opening Day. However, they have lost their last four and six of their last seven. They have not lost five straight since 1934-1938.

Players and coaches will wear number 8 on their jerseys all season in honor of Yogi Berra.

Tanaka is the first right-hander to make consecutive Opening Day starts for the Yanks since Roger Clemens from 2001-03.

 

1:05 pm on YES Network