Yankees’ “New Stars” No Show In Opening Night Loss

Apr 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (22) is congratulated by first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute The Astros defeated the Yankees 6-2. Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from a pair of hits, and a rally that was too late in the making to matter, the Yankees’ much ballyhooed trio of Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and Jacoby Ellsbury didn’t look much different than their teammates, or the 2013 version of the Yankees. The Bombers opened their season with a 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros, as C.C. Sabathia looks like he’s taking off from where 2013 ended as well.

The Yankees spent close to a half a billion dollars on the hitting trio, along with Masahiro Tanaka, and were baffled by the likes of Scott Feldman. The lackluster effort left Yankees’ fans shaking their heads. The results didn’t go unnoticed by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury:

"This wasn’t the way we wanted to start, but this is a group with a lot of experience. We’ll bounce back."

Ellsbury’s formal introduction as the Yankees’ center fielder came in the bottom of the first, when Dexter Fowler ripped a Sabathia pitch over his head for a lead-off double. Things quickly went downhill from there for the Yankees. Catcher Brian McCann recorded his first knock as a Bomber, but also had a errant throw to third on a Sabathia wild pitch:

"We got off to a slow start, but you can’t overreact to one inning or one game."

The new Yankees’ stars understand that every move–good or bad is going to be magnified, and only being one game into the season, that’s all anyone can go off of. The third member of the trifecta, Carlos Beltran, recorded the first Yankees’ hit of the night with an opposite field single in the fourth inning. He also committed an error in right field by misplaying a ball hit down the line.

As Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman said: “Obviously, I feel good about all the guys we brought in.” All the Yankees can do is forget about yesterday, and focus on the task at hand today.