Surprising Stat Should Excite Yankee Fans for Masahiro Tanaka's Game 2 Start Against Twins

The Yankees got off to a hot start in the ALDS, thumping the Twins 10-4 in Game 1 in the Bronx. It was a convincing beatdown that, if nothing else, proved the Yankees came to play in October.

And if the confidence of Yankees fans wasn't already through the roof heading into Game 2, then this will certainly help. Masahiro Tanaka, who's slated to start on Saturday, has allowed just a .162 opponent batting average in the playoffs, the lowest mark in history.

He's in great company too. His number ranks ahead of guys like Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum, both of whom worked wonders for their respective teams in the playoffs.

It's especially encouraging considering the offense he'll be facing. The Twins finished the year with 307 home runs, a single-season MLB record, and an .832 team OPS, the second-highest mark in all of baseball.

The Yankees' offense is going to perform, there's simply no doubt about that. There's too much talent for it not to. The only question for October is whether or not the pitching staff, specifically the rotation, can keep up, and based on this stat, Tanaka should be more than able to.

Tanaka is the perfect pitcher to help the Yankees quiet the Twins' potent offense and take a 2-0 series lead heading into Minneapolis.