pitch up to the occasion
マー君、オープン戦初登板です。カーブの制球が今イチでしたが、及第点だったようです。ところで、ここのpitched up to the occasionとはどんな意味なのでしょうか、Shou-VR*くん、どうぞ。（UG）
Masahiro Tanaka strikes out three over two scoreless innings in his Yankees’ spring debut
Masahiro Tanaka’s spring training debut started with cheers when he first stepped onto George M. Steinbrenner Field and ended with more affection after he pitched up to the occasion by throwing two scoreless innings against the Phillies.
On the same day CC Sabathia started and Hiroki Kuroda also pitched – only the Yankees could have a spring training game where their top three starters pitch back-to-back-to-back – Tanaka was the scene-stealer, creating sizzle in the sellout crowd of 10,943 that even his teammates noticed.
“I think people were eager to see him pitch,” Joe Girardi said. “I think guys on our team were eager to see him pitch, too. A lot of people stayed.”
“It was fun. I think everybody’s excited,” Sabathia added. “The buzz around the park – there was a lot of people here early. For us three to pitch on the same day, it was cool.”
Sabathia and Kuroda each pitched two scoreless innings, too. But Tanaka got most of the attention during the game, which was shown live on multiple Japanese networks, as well as YES and the MLB Network.
He threw the fifth and sixth innings and struck out three and allowed two harmless singles in throwing 32 pitches, 22 of them for strikes. Tanaka’s vaunted splitter got him one strikeout when it dove under Ben Revere’s swing on an 0-2 pitch leading off the sixth inning.
