The first inning of Game 1 will be key for James Paxton, WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti said Friday.
The Yankees left-hander earned the start in Friday's AL Division Series opener against the Twins thanks to a strong final two months of the season, in which he went 11-0 with a 2.51 ERA. But Paxton has been prone to getting into trouble early, evident by his 9.00 first-inning ERA this season.
"The last thing you want to have happen if you are Paxton is what happened to (Sean) Manaea the other night for the A's," referring to the leadoff homer Tampa Bay's Yandy Diaz hit in the AL wild-card game. "You don't want that first guy up hitting a home run. You just don't want that. You've got to get out of that first inning. You've got to get through it, and ... it would be great if he had, like, a nine-pitch first inning -- three up, three down and let's go. And then he can settle down."
Added Giannotti: "That's been a big problem for him the entire year is this is a guy that right off the bat, home run here, home run there. And the Twins know that, and they're going to attack, and they've got their chip on their shoulder. They've got the (team) president saying, 'It's time to slay the dragon.' They're going to come in, and they're going to be tough. It's going to be a tough out. I just don't think they have enough pitching to be able to handle this Yankee lineup, which we forget is so good."
Paxton, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last November, will be making his first career postseason start. He said he's been trying to prepare mentally by closely watching other playoff games.
While Boomer said Paxton was just trying to get his mind right, Gio said he found Paxton's approach strange.
"'Cause he's now anticipating something," Giannotti said. "To me, the best approach would be ... go out there and pitch like it's any other game, instead of getting himself all jacked up."
To listen to the open from Friday's "Boomer and Gio" show, live from Blue Point Brewing Co. in Patchogue, Long Island, click on the audio player above.
