Life in the majors is about making big adjustments.
Three hours before the first game of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader sweep of the Cubs, Masahiro Tanaka sat at his Yankees Stadium locker with a Cubs lineup card in one hand and an iPad in the other, dutifully going over opposing hitters.
This season is going to be about making adjustments for Tanaka and the Japanese star is not afraid to change. That is going to serve him well as he dominated the Cubs in the 3-0 victory, striking out 10 to set a Yankees record for strikeouts over his first three starts.
This was a day and night of adjustments. In the nightcap, Michael Pineda, minus visible pine tar on his right hand, grew up a bit and pitched another six shutout innings in the Yankees’ 2-0 victory over the hapless Cubs.
Asked about pitching without a foreign substance on his hand, and if he feels better pitching without it, Pineda tried to avoid the subject, answering, after a long pause and a sigh, “I don’t know. I feel good, I threw the ball good … I’ve grown up a lot.’’
As for Tanaka’s unique routine of cross-checking lineup cards with video, Tanaka told The Post through his interpreter: “I like to visually look at the batters and see what they do.’’
The only two hits he allowed were bunt singles.
Now, Tanaka (2-0, 2.05 ERA) is coming after the Red Sox.
“After today, everything is gone,’’ Tanaka said of preparing for the Red Sox, whom he will face next week at Fenway. “Then I start looking towards my next start.’’
The young aces should go back-to-back next week in Fenway.
“That’s good, I’m going to be ready to pitching a good game,’’ said Pineda, who has already beaten the Red Sox this season.
In Tanaka, the Yankees have a pitcher who is all in, in every way imaginable. With that kind of attitude, approach and stuff, Tanaka can someday lead a staff.
He got the only run he needed on a first-inning solo home run by Carlos Beltran, who is showing MVP ability.
Beltran said it is Tanaka’s split-fingered fastball that makes all the difference.
“It’s at your knees and a lot of guys think it’s a fastball, and all of a sudden the ball drops because it’s a splitter and it’s 87-88 [mph]. It’s not like it’s 82 or 83, where you have time to recognize it,’’ Beltran said. “In your mind, you’re thinking fastball, so you swing.’’
Then you swing over it. Those 10 strikeouts give Tanaka 28 over his first three starts.
This marked the Yankees’ first doubleheader shutout since April 19, 1987, against Kansas City.
Tanaka sounded like he couldn’t care less about strikeouts, noting, “It’s just another way of getting outs, that is nothing really special to me.”
Now we also know Tanaka can pitch in the cold, which bodes well for October.
Tanaka is a strikeout machine with his splitter and the quick adjustment he has learned to make is that major league hitters punish high average fastballs. He kept the ball low in the strike zone against the Cubs.
The first bunt single in the second was a replay reversal.
Don’t forget the Cubs had all kinds of reports on Tanaka because they were in pursuit of him and they had an advance scout following the Yankees. Tanaka signed with the Yankees because they offered the best deal.
The Cubs consistently swung over Tanaka’s pitches. He looked like an older brother dominating a younger brother in a backyard game of Wiffle ball.
Derek Jeter, who was back in the lineup Wednesday night after missing three games with a quad injury, said of Tanaka, “He’s got four, five, six pitches and he uses them all. If one is working better than the other, he’ll rely on that one. He throws strikes. He’s tough. He’s a handful.’’
His next last-minute study session will take place in Fenway. Get ready, Red Sox. Your Tanaka Test is coming.