TAMPA — On the first day of Yankees spring training workouts, Masahiro Tanaka and Ivan Nova threw the initial bullpen sessions of camp Friday morning.
Standing next to each other in a George M. Steinbrenner Field bullpen, the expected ace and a pitcher who currently is running sixth in a five-horse race threw 25 and 28 pitches, respectively, with manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild watching.
To the untrained eye, Nova was ahead of Tanaka because he was throwing harder. However, Nova threw multiple bullpen sessions at the minor league facility before camp opened, while Tanaka had just one. Plus, the Yankees have informed Tanaka to take it slow at the beginning of camp since he had a bone spur removed from the right elbow in October.
“I was pleased with how it went,’’ Girardi said of Tanaka’s session, after which the manager and ace chatted.
“I wanted to know how he felt and he said he felt good and then I wanted to make sure he went and bunted.’’
As for Nova, currently he is insurance against an injury to a starter.
If Luis Severino, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda and Tanaka avoid injuries during the exhibition season, Nova would become a long reliever.
The Yankees tried to move Nova at last July’s trade deadline and shopped him during the offseason without being able to deal him. He can become a free agent following the season.
Eovaldi, Pineda and Severino threw 35-pitch bullpen sessions later in the day.
Sabathia will throw in the bullpen Saturday, as will new closer Aroldis Chapman.
Girardi said he watched all 20 sessions Friday, not to start formulating plans, but to see how some of the starters who battled injuries a year ago looked.
“Some of the guys you worry about coming into spring training, I was really pleased with what I saw,’’ Girardi said.
“I know it’s not 100 percent and I know it’s not a game condition, but at least it makes you feel better as we move forward. There weren’t any setbacks and it looked like they were letting the ball go and not having any issues. I am talking about Tanaka, Eovaldi and Michael. That was pleasing to me.’’