Sep 21, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
5. May 19 – 20 vs. New York Yankees
The Bronx Bombers will only be paying the Nationals a brief visit in the middle of May, but this is certainly a great chance for Nationals fans to check out the new look Yankees, which is enough to land it a spot on my top games to watch.
These certainly aren’t the Yankees most fans are used to seeing. They’ve missed the playoffs both of the past two seasons. Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter have both retired. Robinson Cano is in Seattle. And Alex Rodriguez… Well, he’s still hanging around enough to be a nuisance.
It will be interesting to see the Yankees this season. It seems the team is moving in a slightly different direction lately. They’re trimming the payroll (though they’ll likely still be over $200 million), and they’re starting to get younger. There’s still time left in free agency, so this note is subject to change, but for now, it appears the Yankees are changing the way they do business, and that makes for an interesting series.
Also, it’s worth saying that the Nationals don’t have many opportunities to see a lot of the American League teams, so this sort of match-up is just the type that Nationals fans should really be looking forward to. It may be a few years before they get the chance to see the Yankees again.