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New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals: Gerrit Cole vs. Max Scherzer

It’s go time.

By Tom Krosnowski
Pittsburgh Pirates v New York Yankees Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

The last time we saw the New York Yankees in a meaningful baseball game, we had our hearts ripped out by the Houston Astros in the ALCS, thanks in part to the contributions of Gerrit Cole. A lot has happened in the nine months since then, but we’ve finally made it to another MLB Opening Day, the 151st in league history. The Yankees will receive the first pitch of the belated MLB season in our nation’s capital, taking on the defending World Series champions, the Washington Nationals. Aces will be high, with Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer facing off on the bump.

Finally, Gerrit Cole is finally slated for his regular season Yankees debut, and it couldn’t have come soon enough for Yankees fans. Cole has been locked-in during summer camp, and, by his admission, is so excited for Opening Day that he could barely sleep. Hopefully, Cole caught some Z’s last night, because he’ll need all his strength to get through the defending champion Nationals. Cole faced off with Scherzer in Game 1 of the World Series last Fall with Houston and lost, but he bounced back to beat them in Game 5. Now, he’s back at Nationals Park, but in Yankees pinstripes this time. It’s finally happening, everybody.

Meanwhile, Scherzer has been at the top of the starting pitching mountain for almost 10 years, and is still going strong at age 35. He struck out 300 batters two years ago, and was on pace to do it again last year before injuries set in. Still, he was stellar in the postseason (the Nationals won every game he pitched in) and earned his first World Series ring as the staff ace. A control artist, Scherzer has led the league in K/BB four times in the last five years. Scherzer is 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA over the four Opening Day starts he’s made in his career.

Lineups:

How to watch:

Location: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

First pitch: 7:08 p.m. EDT

TV broadcast: ESPN

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM

Online Stream: WatchESPN

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