Two keys to the Yankees’ success in 2016, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda, both threw simulated games Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
Tanaka struck out all three batters in his second inning and used his trademark splitter to put away Francisco Diaz to end the frame. This comes after Tanaka threw off flat ground on Monday. The normal process for a pitcher in Spring Training is to throw a bullpen, then toss batting practice, and then pitch in a simulated game; Tanaka bypassed the batting practice part of this regimen.