One of the biggest concerns for the New York Yankees coming out of Spring Training was whether Masahiro Tanaka would be ready to go full bore after having elbow surgery last October, and he’s already done enough to allay any worries after his Opening Day performance against the Houston Astros.

Nobody can blame Tanaka for feeling apprehensive after the health issues over his arm, and Joe Girardi and the Yankees did challenge him in Spring Training to turn it loose. Tanaka did just that over 87 pitches in 5.2 innings. Outside of the home run allowed to phenom Carlos Correa off a mistake, he kept the Yankees in the game; that’s what the team wants, at the very least, from its pitchers. He used his splitfinger effectively, throwing it 51 times and getting it to the corners.

The Yankees have to be relieved, and so does Tanaka, over this outing. It wasn’t dominant, but the righty fared well on a cold day. He should only get better going forward.