Spring Training Game 10: Yankees at Phillies

Update: They're hoping to get the first pitch in by 2:30pm. I really don't see how this game can be happening. If you've seen the picture on Twitter, the dugout is flooded, and there are lakes in the field. Three other Grapefruit League games have been cancelled today, yet they still feel like getting this game in.

Original: For the time being, the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies appear ready to play today's game, even with a massive rain storm on the radar. The Yankees just got on the bus and headed off to Clearwater for a game that might not even happen.

Should we reach 1:05pm EST with the game still on, Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound in his second start of the spring.

Tanaka made his spring debut on Saturday, also against the Phillies, and he looked pretty good, striking out three in two scoreless innings. He debuted his legendary splitter, and made Ben Revere look stupid on the pitch.

Yankees catcher Brian McCann backed up al of the hype surrounding Tanaka.

"Before you saw him pitch, you heard what he has and what people say about him," McCann said. "Then you get to catch him and it is as good as advertised. His stuff really is electric. He can command both sides of the plate to both righties and lefties. He can change speeds. He has five or six different pitches. Everything that you read about, the highlights that we saw before he came over here, they are all accurate."

Obviously it's hard to make a lot of what a player down in spring training, but when everyone that has seen him throw has nothing except good things, it's nice to hear.

Today's lineup vs Philadelphia:

Today's lineup vs PHI: Gardner 7, Jeter 6, Teixeira 3, Beltran 9, McCann 2, Soriano DH, Johnson 5, Roberts 4, Williams 8, Tanaka 1.
— Gavin Ewbank (@GavinEwbank) March 6, 2014

The Yankees are bringing pretty much everyone of their regulars to Clearwater with them, with the exception of Mason Williams playing on center field over Jacoby Ellsbury.

Mark Teixeira will be playing first base for the first time this spring, playing in his first game since June of last season. And Alfonso Soriano, who has been dealing with the flu throughout the first week of camp, will also be in the lineup for the first time this spring, serving as the DH.

You can watch today's game on MLB.TV or MLB Network, but it won't be on YES.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog


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