HOUSTON — After an offseason of wild speculation, an unprecedented bidding war and a spring filled with intense scrutiny, the Yankees will get their first look at what $175 million got them when Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound Friday for the first time as a major leaguer.
The Yankees have steadfastly downplayed expectations since signing the right-hander to a seven-year, $155 million deal and forking over a $20 million posting fee, even waiting until the fourth game of the season to give him a start. Now the real test begins, and even Joe Girardi admitted wondering how Tanaka would perform.
“I think that’s probably fair to say,” the manager said Thursday about being curious to see Tanaka pitch in a regular-season game. “We’ve seen him in spring training. You also want to see what a guy is like when the real bright lights turn on. We expect him to do fine, but you still want to see it.”
Tanaka was at times brilliant and others somewhat ordinary during spring training. His teammates — and some opposing batters — raved about the splitter that helped make him an international phenomenon, but he lacks an overpowering fastball.
As Girardi pointed out, Tanaka has yet to throw a truly meaningful pitch in the majors. And as CC Sabathia discovered in the Yankees’ season opener, even a dominant spring training doesn’t necessarily translate to the regular season.
What Tanaka should be accustomed to, however, will be the huge media contingent and focus on his start against the Blue Jays.
“I’m sure I will be amped up a little bit, but not to the point where I’m worried about that,” Tanaka said Thursday through an interpreter before leaving early for Toronto. “I’m honored to get this sort of attention, but for me, I’m just trying to get outs.”
Brian McCann will play a significant role in that. The catcher wasn’t in the lineup Thursday against the Astros, with Girardi holding him out against lefty starter Brett Oberholtzer. Tanaka will likely pitch to both McCann and Francisco Cervelli over the course of the season, but McCann gets the job for his debut.
Having caught Tanaka several times during the spring, McCann is confident the 25-year-old is ready for the real thing.
“He’s pitched in big games in Japan basically since he was 16, 17 years old,” McCann said. “From the first time you meet him, he carries himself very professionally. He came into camp and fit right in.”
Tanaka is coming off a season in which he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, numbers that those familiar with the Nippon Professional League said were as astounding as they sound.
The Yankees aren’t counting on a repeat, but they didn’t sign him to pitch in the middle of the rotation.
“I watched tapes of the guy and he knew how to pitch, but I don’t put expectations on wins,” Girardi said. “I think he’s going to do well.”
Girardi has seen this type of show before.
He caught Hideki Irabu’s first game in July 1997 and believes there will be the same kind of spotlight on Tanaka.
“I would think so,” Girardi said. “There will be a ton of attention on him [Friday] because of what he did last year in Japan, the contract he signed, who he signed it with, Opening Day in Toronto.”
Given his experience, Girardi was asked what he will tell Tanaka before the outing.
“Go get ’em,” Girardi said. “It’s another game.”
Has he learned how to say that in Japanese?
“Not yet,” Girardi said. “I’ve got to get a tutorial.”