New York Yankees: J.A. Happ leaves oh so important first impression

J.A. Happ’s first start with the New York Yankees was stellar. However, his first impression is more important than most.

The New York Yankees had a long-weekend series vs the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees escaped the series relatively unharmed. However, the biggest takeaway was how well J.A. Happ pitched in his pinstripe debut.

J.A. Happ ended up pitching six innings and giving up just one earned run. To have a stellar first outing at home is encouraging for any team but why does it mean so much more Happ?

Well, the answer to that is more complex than what it seems. He not only made his first start with the Yankees at home, which is a lot of pressure but the consequences if he struggles would have been gut-wrenching.

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It is likely that Happ will pitch against the Red Sox, where he usually pitches well against them. But what if he struggled against the Royals at home? It would have been a disaster. He needed to light it up in his debut against a bad team, he did.

Happ does not exactly have the stats or stuff that turns head. What turns head with Happ is the change of scenery is beneficial narrative that is true, how little the Yanks gave up for him, and the fact that he is great against the AL East.

Bringing in Happ just to pitch well against the Red Sox a few times this year was is worth it alone. He knows them well. However, he did his job in Sunday’s win and it could propel him into being even better than they bargained for.

Usually, guys make their debuts for a team on the road. That is especially the case for rookies. However, starting Happ in the Stadium against the Royals was a brilliant decision. He needed that to show what he can do.

Spending a lot of time in Toronto is not a bad thing. He has played in Philadelphia before too. However, there is nothing quite like the pressure of being a New York Yankee. And he was put in the perfect situation to succeed.

He should now have the confidence to live up to the guy the Yankees traded with a division rival to get. He pitched well against a bad team. Now, he needs to bring it vs a great one.

There is only one chance at a first impression. Happ had is, he left a good one. This is not one of those deals the Yanks made just to see what they could get. He was arguably the best starter on the market and they got him.

He left looked outstanding in his first start as a Yankee. Sometimes things take a while to come together. This is not one of those things.

Happ, as most of you already know was brought in to be great, maybe even better than before, right away. He has done just that. Now, he has set himself up to be the guy they brought in, not the guy who couldn’t live up to the Yankee way.

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How he pitches vs the Red Sox, however, will be the real test for Happ’s tenure in the Bronx. But his debut was the stage to prove he will succeed against them. Not too bad.

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