The Yankees have announced they will start Masahiro Tanaka for the teams wildcard game. The Yankees are awaiting the winner of the final wildcard spot battle between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels to see who they will play Tuesday, October 6th.
Girardi finally makes it official: Tanaka will start WC game on Tuesday. Duh
— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) October 4, 2015
The team was expected to select Tanaka to start the wildcard game due to his solid season on the mound, but they waited to see how the season played out. Tanaka has been a reliable starter after rebounding from a partially torn UCL last year and resting during this season due to forearm and wrist pain. It was thought the team was considering starting Luis Severino for a time to start the game, but Severino started Saturday night in the nightcap of a double-header with the Baltimore Orioles. The 21-year-old right hander is lined up to start game one of the ALDS should the Yankees win the wildcard game.
The 26-year-old high-priced international free-agent signing Tanaka has pitched well in his first two seasons with the Yankees, going 25-12 with a 3.16 ERA. This season, the numbers are slightly higher in terms of ERA due to his battle with injuries, but he has bounced back in the later part of the season to give the Yankees confidence in giving him the ball for Tuesdays game to move on to the ALDS. The right-hander is 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA this season.
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