Major League Baseball

Tanaka looks strong and with Sabathia close, so do the Yankees

Published Mar. 13, 2015 12:49 a.m. ET

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Maybe the Yankees made the right decision about Masahiro Tanaka after all.

For months, I'd believed the Yankees erred in their determination -- equal parts medical, financial and competitive -- that Tanaka ought to rehabilitate his partially torn elbow ligament rather than undergo Tommy John surgery. I'm not a doctor -- breaking news, I know -- but the plan seemed dubious: If the operation is inevitable, as many experts believe, why not have it now and give Tanaka the best chance to contribute during the latter years of his $155 million contract?

But every ulnar collateral ligament is unique. So is every repertoire, every mind, and every major-league pitcher. And with two perfect innings Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, in only his third game since the injury was diagnosed last July, Tanaka appeared to be a healthy 26-year-old who can perform at an elite level for the foreseeable future.

"He looks like he just came off a Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year (season)," said Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt, whom Tanaka retired on a groundout in the second inning. "You can tell. I don't think he sweated a lot.

"From my standpoint, as a player, I don't think he was putting so much effort on (his pitches), and he was really, really good. He was comfortable. I think he feels like, when he's on the mound, he owns it. And he does."

Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer saw Tanaka pitch during the 2014 regular season, when Seitzer held the same position with the Toronto Blue Jays. Seitzer said the pitcher he saw Thursday was no different than the one who beat the Jays three times last year.

"He was good -- down in the zone, mixed his pitches," Seitzer said. "He was throwing strikes. He only went a couple innings, but he had good command. Same as last year, it seemed like . . . He looked normal."

So, is Tanaka back? We can't be sure. We can't be sure about the health of anyone on a baseball field. Just ask the Blue Jays. Their ascendant ace, 23-year-old Marcus Stroman, was considered the best athlete on the team . . . and then tore the ACL in his left knee during a bunt-coverage drill earlier this week. He's out for the season.

Tanaka, meanwhile, was so efficient in his spring debut -- 19 pitches, 15 strikes -- that he needed to throw 18 pitches in the bullpen afterward to reach his allotment for the evening. Tanaka threw several devastating split-fingered fastballs -- his signature pitch, and one that places particular torque on the compromised UCL.

Fellow Yankees starter CC Sabathia said earlier Thursday that Tanaka has said continually this spring that he feels "fine." Well, he was better than fine against the Braves. He was dominant against six major-league hitters, which should allow the Yankees to dream a little about their chances in a winnable American League East.

Sabathia is part of that optimism, too, after an encouraging 29-pitch simulated game of his own, hours before Tanaka took the mound. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Sabathia was able to push off his lower body effectively, following the right knee surgery that ended his 2014 season. Sabathia, 34, said his body hasn't felt this strong in spring training since 2012.

To the extent that Tanaka and Sabathia are the bellwethers for the Yankees' postseason hopes in 2015 -- as I believe they are -- Thursday was a rousing success. Yes, the day also included the disappointing news that No. 5 starter Chris Capuano is probably out for all of April with a quadriceps injury. But if Tanaka, Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi can do a credible job in the top four spots, then Girardi should be able to negotiate April with Adam Warren or Esmil Rogers taking a semi-regular turn (thanks to off days and inevitable rainouts).

The larger divisional landscape is favorable, too: Stroman's injury has muted much of the excitement over Toronto's bid to end a two-decade playoff drought . . . The Yankees hired away a top reliever (Andrew Miller) from the defending division champion Orioles . . . A healthy Tanaka is better than any pitcher on the rival Red Sox pitching staff.

For months, the Yankees have received criticism for not signing Max Scherzer or trading for Cole Hamels. Thursday, the greatest prize of the previous offseason was on full display, just as good as he ever was.

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