Opening Day Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 3/29

Good morning Yankees family and welcome, finally, to Opening Day 2018! The grass has been cut, the lines have been painted on, the infield dirt has been saturated with the perfect amount of moisture, and Major League Baseball is now ready to kick this season off. The New York Yankees start the 2018 season inside the Rogers Centre, a dome in Toronto and home of the Toronto Blue Jays, so they will be playing on Astroturf and in 72-degree weather, but Opening Day baseball is Opening Day baseball regardless. Kicking off their respective 2018 campaigns will be the Luis Severino for the Yankees and J.A. Happ for the Blue Jays who both received Opening Day nods from their managers. Both offenses are ready, the pitchers are ready, and so are the fans, so let’s do this thing!

Severino will make his first Opening Day start of his career this afternoon in Toronto after coming off a strong 2017 campaign that saw him place third in the American League Cy Young Award vote. Severino, while successful last season, struggled against the Blue Jays in particular in 2017 posting an 0-1 record with a 4.97 ERA in two starts. Severino will have to do better than that this afternoon, or maybe he won’t with the potential juggernaut of an offense behind him, and will also have to quell his adrenaline as well as to avoid a repeat of the 2017 American League Wild Card Game where he struggled, later admitting he was too pumped up and excited which led to his command and control being a bit off.

Happ earns his first Opening Day nod as well, but for an entirely different set of reasons than Severino. Happ will take the ball for Toronto today due to their ace, Marcus Stroman, injuring his right shoulder early on during Spring Training camp this season. Happ, again like Severino, faced the Yankees twice during the 2017 campaign allowing just two runs in 11.2 innings. Last season Happ didn’t have to face Giancarlo Stanton though, so that may change for the 2018 season. Stay tuned.

The game will be played at 3:37 pm ET inside Rogers Centre in Toronto and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also listen to the game in your cars, on the radio, and when you’re at work like I will be today by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with the legendary John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game, hit some homers, and start the 2018 season off right. Go Yankees!!