TAMPA — On the day Derek Jeter announced this season would be his last, the Yankees hoped to usher in a new era with Masahiro Tanaka.
The $175 million Japanese right-hander arrived under the cover of darkness Tuesday night and had his first workout in front of pitching coach Larry Rothschild Wednesday.
“We just played a little bit of long-toss and catching,” Rothschild said as he left Steinbrenner Field shortly before Tanaka.
They spent most of their time trying to come up with a plan for the 25-year-old as he prepares for his first season in the majors after dominating in Japan in 2013.
“I don’t want to change a lot, but I still want to try to ease him into the adjustments that he’s going to make,” Rothschild said of Tanaka, who will have to pitch every five days instead of every seven, as he did in Japan.
Perhaps as difficult a challenge as adjusting to the majors will be how Tanaka deals with off-field pressure, which already has been on display.
From the dozen or so Japanese media members who staked him out at the Tampa airport following his trip to The Bronx, to the 20-plus Japanese reporters waiting by the Yankees minor league complex from the early-morning on Wednesday, Tanaka figures to be getting an idea of what he’s in for this season.
After speaking with Tanaka, Rothschild said he is confident the right-hander is capable of coping with the potential distractions.
“He’s been excellent,” Rothschild said. “I don’t know how many people could go through the weeks that he’s had. It’s been great, but it’s got to be tiring just to deal with everything.”
MLB commissioner Bud Selig, fresh off his fight with Alex Rodriguez praised Jeter after he announced his retirement.
“In the 21-plus years in which I have served as Commissioner, Major League Baseball has had no finer ambassador than Derek Jeter,” Selig said in a statement. “Since his championship rookie season of 1996, Derek has represented all the best of the National Pastime on and off the field.”
Though Jeter and Rothschild spend more time than most at the team’s minor league complex, Rothschild said he didn’t have any indication Jeter was about to announce his retirement.
“I don’t know what you say about a guy who’s done what he’s done in his career,” Rothschild said. “[Mariano Rivera] last year announced it in the spring and now Jeter this year. I don’t know if I’m the right guy to put words on it, because it’s been an unbelievable career.”
Cal Ripken, Jr., in a statement, said “Derek has represented the Yankees and the game of baseball so well for so many years. He has had a wonderful career and as a fan I will miss watching him play. He will be remembered as one of the all-time greats and I hope he enjoys his final season in pinstripes.”
J.R. Murphy spent time as a backup catcher with the Yankees last season and hopes to do the same in 2014, but even if he does stick around, he’s not likely to be involved in a scene like the one he witnessed last year — when he came to the mound as Rivera was removed by Jeter and Andy Pettitte in the closer’s final appearance.
“Probably the biggest question I had all offseason was, ‘What was it like?’” said Murphy, who likely will have to beat out Austin Romine and Francisco Cervelli to win a spot behind Brian McCann. “It’s kind of hard to put into words.”