Giancarlo Stanton Stars in Yankees Debut

YANKEES 6 - BLUE JAYS 1

It didn't take long for Giancarlo Stanton to adjust to the American League East. The former NL MVP blasted two home runs in his first regular season game as a Yankee -- staking himself to a very, very early claim to what could be a big year for the Bronx Bombers.

Stanton was 3-for-5 in his debut with four RBI; his first hit was a home run to right that gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Then in the top of the fifth, with his fellow Bash Brother Aaron Judge off of first base after a walk, Stanton crushed a two-out double to center, scoring Judge to give the Bombers a 3-0 lead.

The big guy wasn't done. He had one more statement in his first game as a Yankee and what a statement it was, a towering solo-homer to right-center to push the Yankee lead 6-1 in the top of the ninth inning.

What a day; what a premier. Teams in the American League were on notice before the season started, now they are really on notice. Giancarlo Stanton is going to make the Yankees better -- much better than they were a year ago.

On the hill for New York, Luis Severino picked up where he left off in 2017. Severino held the Blue Jays to a single hit over 5.2 innings, while walking three and striking out seven. It was a solid outing for a guy who is expected to carry this rotation all season. There will be no surprises anymore with Severino, only expectations. This was a good first start.

The Yankee bullpen was also solid. The combination of Chad Green, Dillon Betances and Aroldis Chapman shut the door on the beleaguered Blue Jays in the final innings.

NOTES: Forgotten in Stanton's debut was the fact that reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the victory. Brett Gardner had his first homer of the season in the seventh inning. Gary Sanchez got off to a good with a RBI double in the fifth inning. Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson played through what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the defeat. He was 0-for-3 at the plate, but defensively looked worse for wear when trying to field his position. An injury to Donaldson is something to keep an eye on.