Ottavino's 1st game in pinstripes lives up to hype

NEW YORK -- The Opening Day nerves materialized as expected for Adam Ottavino early on Thursday morning, but as the right-hander scanned the walls of his Manhattan apartment, there was also a fresh layer of excitement accompanying what would be his first regular-season game in a Yankees uniform.

A couple of subway lines from the Brooklyn neighborhood where Ottavino enjoyed high school stardom, and some forty blocks north of the vacant Harlem storefront where he gathered high-tech gear to better understand his mechanics, Ottavino said that he arrived at Yankee Stadium early in order to soak in every ounce of the festivities.

"I think the intros were the coolest thing," Ottavino said after the Yankees' 7-2 victory over the Orioles. "The crowd was super loud, and it was exciting to see all of that. Putting on my uniform was cool, obviously. I didn't really notice anything while I was pitching because I was kind of focused."

Blessed with a high-octane fastball and a video-game slider that generated 112 strikeouts in 75 appearances for the Rockies last year, the 33-year-old Ottavino was one of the Yankees' celebrated acquisitions of the winter, adding to a bullpen that had already been considered to be among the game's best.

When Ottavino agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal in December, Aaron Judge had been among those cheering the move. That sentiment was reinforced as Ottavino jogged from the right-field bullpen in the sixth inning, relieving starter Masahiro Tanaka.

Wearing uniform No. 0 -- the first Yankee to ever do so -- Ottavino retired all four batters he faced, striking out three. Judge said he was particularly wowed by the sequence that froze Baltimore catcher Jesus Sucre looking at a called third strike to end the seventh inning.

"I think he threw him two nasty curveballs," Judge said. "The ball looks like it's going to hit you in the back hip, and all of a sudden it's right down the middle. He threw two of those, then he puts a 94 [mph] little two-seamer in there. It's impressive what he can do."

Though Tanaka had thrown only 83 pitches against a subpar Baltimore batting order, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he believed it was the perfect spot to call upon Ottavino, who held opponents to a .158 average last year with Colorado.

"I'm sure there was a lot running through his mind and his veins," Boone said. "With the excitement that comes with being a lifelong Yankee fan and coming home, for him to go out and get results and execute the pitches he wanted to, I'm really excited for him."

Like fellow setup men Dellin Betances (currently on the injured list), Zack Britton and Chad Green, Ottavino said that he will be satisfied however Boone chooses to deploy him in the late innings. Ottavino suspects that he will see a steady diet of right-handed hitters, though he is more than capable of handling lefties as well.

"I think a lot of teams have set roles for innings, but we have so many guys that are good that I think it's going to change on a day-to-day basis to optimize our usage," Ottavino said. "There might have to be daily conversations. One of Boone's big qualities is communication. I think that's a big reason why he got the job, so it's cool."

Ottavino said that he had a small cheering section in the seats for Thursday's opener, and he had been told ahead of time that the seventh inning would be his. Boone left the door open for Ottavino to record an out in the sixth, which is exactly what happened, as he retired Rio Ruiz looking at a called third strike.

"I was really focused on the guys I might have to face, and so it felt like a regular game for me," Ottavino said. "I had probably a dozen people here. I'm just happy I got in because they came and spent a lot of money. I was happy for that."