Cubs find out Tanaka is hot when it’s cool
The New York Yankees paid a hefty price for the services of starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, but David Lennon of Newsday wrote that he’s been worth every penny.
“We’ve all tried to separate the hype from the reality when it comes to Masahiro Tanaka, but after his first three starts, that’s becoming harder to do,” Lennon wrote. “In Wednesday’s domination of the [Chicago] Cubs, Tanaka struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, and allowed only a pair of bunt singles - the first coming on a successful challenge by Chicago Manager Rick Renteria.
“The rebuilding Cubs are terrible, and the first-pitch temperature in the Bronx was 43 degrees, not exactly hitter-friendly.
But Tanaka also had to deal with the same chilly conditions, which can make the baseball feel like a cue ball and mess with a pitcher’s grip.
“Watching Tanaka you’d never know it. On the contrary, he looked more comfortable Wednesday than in his two previous starts. This time, Tanaka was Teflon, with the Cubs barely touching him.
“They were so lost that Anthony Rizzo - the No. 3 hitter - opened the seventh inning by poking a bunt single to the vacant side of the infield left empty by the Yankees’ exaggerated defensive shift. Rizzo wound up as the only Cub that made it as far as second base but was stranded when Tanaka coolly retired the next three in order, and he whiffed Junior Lake on a diving splitter to escape.
“‘You don’t face too many starters that throw that many different pitches,’ said Cubs right fielder Nate Schierholtz, who was caught looking at a 93-mph fastball in the fourth. ‘He can throw any pitch at any time.’
“Tanaka’s 10 Ks upped his total to 28 through his first three starts, breaking the 27-year-old team record held by Al Leiter.
“We understand why Brian Cashman labeled Tanaka the Yankees’ No. 3 starter. The idea was to take some of the pressure off a newcomer who never before had stood on a major-league mound.
“But it could be argued that Tanaka is now the ace - based on talent and the ability to adjust.
Also the killer instinct to mow down an inferior opponent like the Cubs. The Yankees saw that during their evaluation of Tanaka and they made him their No. 1 priority before a new posting system was even in place.
“He’s proving that the hype was more than just headlines.
“ ‘It’s not every day you get a guy coming off a 24-0 season,’ [Yankees Manager] Joe Girardi said of Tanaka who is already 2-0 with New York. ‘It probably would have been extremely difficult for him to live up to it.’”
Delay of game
Joe Buck of Fox Sports got married Saturday in Los Cabos, Mexico, with broadcast partners Tim McCarver and Troy Aikman serving as his groomsmen.
As Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times wrote, “The ‘I do’s’ were delayed 15 minutes while McCarver and Aikman analyzed the ring exchange on the overhead Telestrator.”
Quote of the day
“We want to win and do well, but we want to do well in the classroom. Good students make better teammates.” Central Arkansas Athletic Director Brad Teague on the basketball team’s academics situation
Sports, Pages 18 on 04/18/2014