It was a glorious beginning to a 28th World Championship seeking season for the New York Yankees. The Yankees would come out of the gate swinging. So let’s look at three takeaways from the Opening Day contest.
Battle Continues at First
Luke Voit and Greg Bird were competing throughout Spring Training. If not for the injury to center fielder Aaron Hicks, one of the two first basemen would have likely been sent to Triple-A. But here they were both in the Bronx for Opening Day and both in the Opening Day lineup. Both Voit and Bird would hit home runs during yesterday’s game. And as the early season continues with Hicks and company still on the IL, Bird, and Voit will maintain their battle for first base.
Middle of the Order is Deadly
When facing the Yankees lineup, there are no easy spots. There are no real noticeable weaknesses. But when you are facing the heart of the order, you are tip-toeing through a minefield. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Miguel Andujar, and Gary Sanchez represented spots 2-6 in the order. And the final stat line for Opening Day 6-14 (.428) with 5 RBI’s and 6 walks. Those are numbers you’d expect from a Yankees lineup on MLB 19 The Show on PlayStation.
Entire Pitching Staff has been Upgraded
When you look at the this year’s Opening Day pitching staff, it seems poised to be something special quietly. It was the one area that was said to be “THE” area of focus this offseason. The resigning (and a full season) of JA Happ, along with the acquisition of James Paxton pushed the rotation forward from last year’s Opening Day. The resigning of Zack Britton and the addition of Adam Ottavino makes the Yankees bullpen even stronger than last season. And as has been the narrative the previous few seasons this Yankees bullpen could be the best in the history of Major League Baseball.
