It’s been months since the Toronto Blue Jays last faced the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. Fall turned to winter, and a cold and dark period of time passed: the baseball off-season. Stadium hot dogs were scarce, and Blue Jays baseball was nowhere to be found.
But now the wait is over; baseball is back. The Blue Jays will face the Yankees again, minus a few familiar faces (most notably the one in right field) and with the addition of some new ones. The 162-game marathon is now upon us, so, in preparation for the first games of the season, let’s take a look ahead…
Thursday, March 29 – 3:37 pm EST
Friday, March 30 – 7:07 pm EST
Aaron Sanchez vs. Masahiro Tanaka
Saturday, March 31 – 4:07 pm EST
Sunday, April 1 – 1:07 PM EST
Marcus Stroman vs. CC Sabathia
Blue Jays vs. Yankees 2017 history
In an otherwise disappointing 2017 season, the Blue Jays took 10 of their 19 games against the Yankees. The Blue Jays took three series of the six series they played, with the Yankees taking two, and one split.
New faces to watch for on the Blue Jays
It will be a very different looking outfield for Toronto to start the 2018 season, with the departure of franchise icon Jose Bautista. With openings in both corner outfield spots, the Blue Jays acquired Curtis Granderson, who, at 37-years-old, is the same age as Bautista. That said, if you look at advanced fielding metrics, Granderson was still a better defender than Bautista over the past few seasons. And with 14 seasons under his belt he also brings a veteran presence to the clubhouse.
There’s now another newcomer on Kevin Pillar’s other side. Randal Grichuk was acquired to help provide athleticism on defence and 30-homer potential at the plate
But really, the outfield’s just the beginning when it comes to Blue Jays newcomers. Infielders Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz provide depth, relievers John Axford, Tyler Clippard and Seung-hwan Oh are looking for bounce-backs and left-hander Jaime Garcia should stabilize the back end of the rotation.
New faces to watch for on the Yankees
In case having one 50-homer bat wasn’t enough, the Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins over the winter. The 28-year-old power hitter joins Aaron Judge in the New York lineup after hitting 59 home runs and winning NL MVP with the Miami Marlins.
Though Stanton had played exclusively for the Marlins before the December trade to the Bronx, he has faced Happ a total of nine times in his career, with one home run and one double in those nine confrontations.
While Stanton was the Yankees’ biggest acquisition, there were others, too. The Yankees also acquired Brandon Drury, a versatile player who can play second, third and the outfield. In 2017 he hit .267 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, adding 37 doubles and 13 home runs.
He’s not the only newcomer who offers versatility, as Neil Walker also joined the New York lineup. Walker, a switch-hitting second baseman, hit .265 last season before signing a one-year deal with the Yankees.
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