Paxton starting Game 1 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for Yankees fans after he finished the season winning 10 of his final 11 starts. He’s been outstanding since the start of August posting an ERA of 2.51 with 69 K’s in 61 IP and deserves the opportunity to get the ball to open up series.
The left-hander was very inconsistent through the first four months, but he turned his season around at the perfect time and pitched like the ace the Yankees were hoping he’d become when they acquired him last offseason. This will be his first postseason start so it will be interesting to see how he performs on the big stage under the most pressure than he’s ever faced in his career.