Baseball will be back on Saturday — at least the Spring Training variety. The New York Yankees open their exhibition schedule Saturday afternoon with a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Game time is 1:05 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast on the YES Network and the MLB Network. If you really want to subject yourself to punishment this early, the game will be broadcast on WCBS Radio 880 AM, so you can hear John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.
This won’t be an epic CC Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee World Series moment. Instead, Bartolo Colon gets the ball for the first couple of innings for the Yankees and Cole Hamels will open for the Phillies.
Colon, who has not pitched in the majors since 2009, is likely battling with Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Sergio Mitre for a spot in the starting rotation. Colon would have to be considered a long-shot at this point.
New Yankee catcher Russell Martin, who had knee surgery in the offseason, is unlikely to play in the first few exhibition games as he waits for the knee to heal completely.