Yankees 6, Tigers 3

Times wires
Thursday, March 31, 2011

NEW YORK — A healthy Curtis Granderson helped give the Yankees their earliest home win ever.

Granderson hit a go-ahead homer leading off the seventh inning and Mark Teixeira had a three-run shot off Justin Verlander, lifting New York over the Tigers 6-3 Thursday in the first March opener in the Bronx.

"It was great — except for the weather," said Granderson, who arrived in New York around 11 p.m. Wednesday after playing in a rehabilitation game with minor-leaguers in Tampa earlier in the day.

CC Sabathia pitched six workmanlike innings, Derek Jeter added a sacrifice fly in the seventh using his new stride-less swing and Mariano Rivera, wearing his socks high for perhaps the first time, earned his first save and 560th of his career.

Newcomers Russell Martin and Rafael Soriano, the AL saves leader for the Rays last year, did their part as the Yankees got off to a quick start on a gray, blustery, 42-degree day.

"Their bullpen and the long ball is what did us in today," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought it was actually a decent game for the conditions. It was pretty rough."

Sidelined with a strained side since March 22, Granderson made two spectacular catches against his former team and homered for the third straight opener — off a lefty, no less. He connected against former Yankee Phil Coke (0-1) as New York embarked on its first full season without George Steinbrenner as owner since 1973.

With the flags above the lights in rightfield whipping toward the foul pole, Teixeira connected off Verlander in the third inning. Normally a .235 hitter in the first month of the season, the first baseman didn't get his first hit last season until his fifth game.

"I've been petitioning the league to start in March for years," Teixeira said. "Finally they let us start in March because everybody knows my Aprils."

Slimmed down by 25 pounds and healthy after having surgery on his right knee this winter, Sabathia gave up six hits and three runs — two earned.

Joba Chamberlain, Soriano and Rivera pitched perfect innings and the Yankees retired the last 10 overall. Chamberlain (1-0) got the win.

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/yankees-6-tigers-3/1161021

New Castle United Wolverhampton Wanderers Higher education Awards and prizes Tobin tax Belarus