CLEARWATER, Fla. — Joe Girardi left no doubt about Masahiro Tanaka’s standing in the rotation.
“The idea is he’s our No. 1 starter,” Girardi said Sunday morning. “But you have to see how he does, where he is physically.”
A few hours later, the righthander made his spring training debut against the Phillies, pitching two scoreless innings in a 6-5 loss at Bright House Field. Tanaka, all but certain to be the Opening Day starter if healthy, allowed two hits and a walk and struck out two. He threw 31 pitches, 20 strikes. “Pretty satisfied,” he said through his translator.