All of the anticipation for the three-game weekend series between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels had centered on the scheduled pitching matchup between Masahiro Tanaka and Shohei Ohtani, the two-way rookie sensation who has been called the Japanese Babe Ruth.
But after Angels Manager Mike Scioscia announced that Ohtani would not start in the series finale at Yankee Stadium, Sunday’s game instead produced a more conventional meeting between Tanaka, the Yankees’ starting pitcher, and Ohtani, the Angels’ designated hitter.
But anyone who had seen Saturday night’s game between the two teams, which was won by the Angels in an 11-4 rout, knew that the key matchup on Sunday might actually end up being between Tanaka and Mike Trout.