Aaron Boone said the decision was simple after he knew Luis Severino’s rotator cuff inflammation would sideline him to begin the season.
The manager called Masahiro Tanaka the “obvious choice” to start Opening Day in Severino’s place, despite Tanaka’s muddled history in three previous outings to start the season.
Tanaka entered Thursday having allowed 13 earned runs in 12 ¹/u2083 innings in three prior Opening Day outings, but the fourth time was evidently the charm in a 7-2 win in The Bronx.
Against an Orioles team that seems lined up to challenge — if not surpass — its 115-loss season from a year ago, Tanaka allowed just one base runner in the first three innings as the Yankees built a 4-0 lead.