Home Opener Game Thread: Toronto Blue Jays (2-2) vs. New York Yankees (1-2)

Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays sure like to draw out Home Openers so let’s see if I can get this post up before game time.

Dustin McGowan is starting for the first time since 2011… I’m sure you’ve heard this by now. Wishing all the best for Dustin and that his arm doesn’t fall off. His stuff is top-notch but his command can be spotty at times so the key for him will be throwing strikes (and keeping his arm intact).

Masahiro Tanaka makes his North American regular season debut and should be a sight to watch for both Blue Jays and Yankees fans. I didn’t catch him during spring training but he throws a fastball anywhere from the low-to-mid 90s with a devastating splitter. He’s a workhorse who loves to throw so it should be interesting to see how he fares against big league competition for the first time in a game that counts. I wouldn’t be surprised if teams struggled against Tanaka his first few rounds through the league.

Toronto Blue Jays Lineup:

Melky Cabrera LF
Colby Rasmus CF
Jose Bautista RF
Edwin Encarnacion 1B
Adam Lind DH
Dioner Navarro C
Brett Lawrie 3B
Ryan Goins 2B
Jonathan Diaz SS

Dustin McGowan P

New York Yankees Lineup:

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran DH
Brian McCann C
Mark Teixeira 1B
Kelly Johnson 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Yangervis Solarte 2B
Dean Anna SS

Masahiro Tanaka P