Astros Not Facing New York Yankees' Star Stroman on Opening Day
At the beginning of Spring Training, it seemed like the Houston Astros knew who they'd be facing on the mound for Opening Day when they welcomed in the New York Yankees.
It was supposed to be a pitcher they were very familiar with in Gerrit Cole, who had two All-Star seasons with them during his two year tenure.
However, an elbow injury will prevent him from taking the mound to face his old team as he's expected to be out two months or more depending on what tests determine.
That will certainly shake up the Yankees' rotation during the opener series, something the Astros have to deal with themselves after their own ace Justin Verlander was placed on the injured list.
So, who will Houston see on Opening Day?
New York has not announced who will be on the mound, but one of their newly signed stars revealed that it won't be him.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Marcus Stroman said that he's not getting the Opening Day responsibilities, but he will be on the bump later in the series on March 30.
This is certain to be a hotly contested matchup.
There is no love lost between the two franchises, and the Astros would love nothing more than to send a message to the reworked Yankees with a dominant series win.
Based on betting odds, these are the top two favorites to win the American League.
While nothing is going to be determined four games into the long, 162-game gauntlet, it would still feel sweet to crush New York in the opener.
