New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Gerrit Cole vs. Nathan Eovaldi

Here we are at last. Months of waiting, the majority of that time consumed by the lockout, ends today — the Yankees’ regular season is about to kick off. Forget all the talk about what could have been, and get ready to buckle up for six months of Yankees baseball — with the potential for more. Thanks to the shuffling of the schedule caused by the lockout New York is starting off the year with a familiar foe in sight, as the Boston Red Sox come to town.

Gerrit Cole will be the man tasked with getting the ball first this year, and it’s fitting that he’ll start the season by facing off against the team that ended the Yankees’ chances last year. There’s a lot of weight on Cole’s shoulders after his disastrous outing in Fenway, and even though he can’t get rid of it all with just one start, a good outing today could kickstart a redemption run for him. Cole pitched to a 16-8 record with a 3.23 ERA and 243 strikeouts across 181.1 innings in 2021, infamously dealing with the fallout of the sticky stuff reversal midseason and a hamstring issue late in the year. Now healthy again, Cole can set a new tone for 2022 right away.

Boston will counter with Nathan Eovaldi, the opposing pitcher in last year’s Wild Card Game as well. Eovaldi had a solid year anchoring a Red Sox rotation that was missing Chris Sale for the majority of the year, and he finds himself in that position again with Sale on the injured list to start the season. Eovaldi pitched to a 11-9 record with a 3.75 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 182.1 innings last year, and the former Yankee has given his ex-team fits of late — they scored two or less runs in all but one of their matchups against Eovaldi last year.

There are also several new members of The Rivalry on both sides making their debuts. The Yankees are bringing Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa into the fold, while the Red Sox will introduce Trevor Story for the first time. It’ll be interesting to see who makes their mark first in this series, and who, if any of them, become hated by the other side. Without further ado, let’s get into what could be Aaron Judge’s final Opening Day in the Bronx:

How to watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

First pitch: 1:05 p.m. EST

TV broadcast: YES Network, NESN, MLB Network (out of market, only)

Radio broadcast: WADO 1280, WFAN 660/101.9 FM

Online stream: MLB.tv

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