Yes, that turned out to be the much-anticipated “high, far and gone” call from the Yankees’ venerable radio man, and it set the tone twice for a new season that opened under first-time manager Aaron Boone with two mammoth homers from the team’s imported slugger in a crisp 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
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We’re only 24 hours away from Major League Baseball opening day 2018 and the Yankees sophomore-superstar, Aaron Judge, is already celebrating his first win of the season. “It was a great day”.
“With [Stanton], Aaron and Gary so good at hitting the ball the other way, they can mishit it and it will still leave the ballpark by a bunch”, said Boone.
It took Stanton all of two pitches to hit an absolute missile for his first home run of 2018. Starter Luis Severino allowed one hit in 5 2/3 innings and commbined with three relievers on a two-hitter.
Both of Stanton’s shots were sights that Yankees fans had eagerly been hoping to see since the team traded for him in December.
While this day often brings optimism that sometimes isn’t warranted, there is reason to expect big things from both of New York’s baseball teams. It wasn’t just Stanton’s first at-bat, but his first swing in the regular season, making for a historic moment. Judge, who struck out 208 times previous year, struck out swinging, bringing Stanton, the designated hitter, to the plate as a buzz grew in the stadium. For a guy with his talent, his power, once he gets on time, he’s deadly. “Your guess is as good as mine”, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. There’s high expectations. We’ve got to go out there and play our game, do our thing. He came to town here with Miami a few years go and he put on a pretty good show. “When they get on time, they’re usually taking pitches out of the zone because they can wait a little longer”.
Top of the worry list has to be the play of Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was bothered by right-shoulder pain during spring training that he and the team said was minor. “Because obviously it’s a story today”.
“He is really focused”, Boone said.
Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings for the champion Houston Astros in a 4-1 win over Texas. Stanton and his new team earned a 6-1 win (box score) to snap their six-year Opening Day losing streak, which was the longest active Opening Day losing streak in baseball.
Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez had an AL-best 3.00 ERA in 2016 but made just eight starts last season because of persistent blister issues. The miserable offensive showing matched the weather conditions in Toronto, where rain drizzled outside the domed Rogers Centre all day. Big shoes indeed. Even after working five weeks of big-league spring training, Wagner felt the moment too.
He is 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 outings, including three starts, in his career against the Yankees. They did this without even having a single losing season, the jerks. Two Opening Day home runs should make Stanton’s Monday Yankee Stadium debut a touch less pressure-filled, but there will be slumps and there will be questions.
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But when evaluating Stanton’s at-bats, Boone says he focused on the process instead of the outcome.
