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Yankees Rout Red Sox in MLB Season Opener
AP ^ | Apr 4, 2005

Posted on 04/04/2005 10:13:03 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo

NEW YORK (AP) -- The tallest Yankee ever began the big task of putting the Boston Red Sox back in their place.

Randy Johnson shut down Boston in his New York debut, dominating his new team's old rival. He outpitched David Wells, got help from Hideki Matsui and a rejuvenated Jason Giambi and led the Yankees over the World Series champions 9-2 Sunday night in the major league opener.

``I was pretty excited to go out there,'' said Johnson, who remembered how fans cheered him when he walked out to the bullpen to warm up.

Already, there were bad omens for the Red Sox: Matsui leaped in left to rob Kevin Millar of a two-run homer in the third, Giambi stretched to reel in two bad throws by shortstop Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez made a diving stop at third on Edgar Renteria, and Tino Martinez made a backhand dive at first to prevent an extra-base hit by Johnny Damon.

By the time Matsui hit a two-run homer off Matt Mantei for a 8-1 lead in the eighth, it was almost piling on.

``We're not disappointed,'' Damon said. ``We accept the fact that we really weren't that good tonight, We'll get better.''

With Boston taking the field as champions for the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox returned to the scene of their improbable triumph staring directly at the 6-foot-10 Big Unit, brought to the Bronx to help the Yankees win their first title since 2000.

Giambi, back at first base following injury, illness and a reported admission of steroid use, received a pair of standing ovations from the sellout crowd of 54,818 and went 1-for-2 with a single and two hit-by-pitches.

``I had a calm feeling because I knew I did everything I could to get to this point,'' he said. ``They respect a guy who worked hard to get back to where he was.''

Gary Sheffield, back from offseason shoulder surgery, hit a go-ahead single in a three-run third inning against Wells, and Martinez received two huge ovations in his first game in pinstripes since 2001.

``Who wouldn't like this?'' he said.

Since New York moved within three outs of sweeping the Red Sox in the AL championship series last October, the Red Sox had won eight straight, becoming the first major league team to overcome a 3-0 postseason deficit, then blowing out St. Louis in the World Series.

But following an offseason of joy in New England, the Red Sox started with a thud, pitching poorly, making a pair of errors and losing their fifth straight season opener. New York had 15 hits off Wells and six relievers.

``It's the first game we won since Game 3,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``It was a long winter waiting to get on the field again.''

The usual swells and celebrities were on hand to watch the Yankees extend their winning streak in home openers to eight. A sign in left field expressed the hope of New York fans -- ``1918-2004-2090'' -- referring to the years of Boston's last two Series titles and projected date of its next.

``The crowd was ready,'' Damon said.

Johnson was a model of quiet focus hours before the game, putting on a black undershirt, then a gray sweat shirt before sitting in front of his new locker near Torre's office and looking ahead, gathering his thoughts.

Hitting Johnson is, well, a tall order -- the New Yorker's playful front-page cartoon of him on the mound cut off at the neck.

He opened with a 93 mph pitch to Damon, and struck out Renteria and Manny Ramirez looking in the first, the latter on a smoking 97 mph heater. He got in trouble in the second, when Matsui grabbed Millar's fly ball and Jay Payton singled in the season's first run.

Johnson and Red Sox manager Terry Francona called Matsui's catch the turning point.

``They don't play much basketball in Japan,'' Jeter said playfully. ``I didn't know he could jump that high.''

Bernie Williams' sacrifice fly tied the score in the bottom half, and New York took a 4-1 lead in the third on Sheffield's double, Matsui's RBI single and a bases-loaded balk by Wells, who stepped back to start his windup and then stopped.

Rodriguez, vilified by Boston during the offseason and spring training, added a run-scoring single in the sixth off Blaine Neal and scored on Ruben Sierra's double.

Johnson allowed the one run and five hits in six innings and struck out six. Tanyon Sturtze and Tom Gordon followed with one hit relief.

Wells, who pitched a perfect game for New York in 1998 and helped the Yankees win the World Series that year, was starting in place of Curt Schilling, his bloody sock in the Hall of Fame and the ankle it surrounded still recovering from surgery that followed the title.

Signed to fill the gap created by the departures of Pedro Martinez and Matt Clement, Wells made a shaky debut, allowing four runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings. With the temperature 43 degrees, he had trouble gripping the ball.

Fans gave him the loudest boos.

``Out in the bullpen, they rode me pretty good,'' Wells said. ``That's all right.''

It was a night of milestones -- the first night opener at Yankee Stadium, the first time the Red Sox played as defending champions since 1919, when they opened with a 10-0 win over New York at the Polo Grounds behind a Babe Ruth home run.

Johnson made his 13th opening-day start, tying Roger Clemens for the lead among active pitchers.

New York, with the first $200 million payroll in baseball history, had a former All-Star in every spot in its starting lineup, the first time that happened in the major leagues since the Yankees did it on July, 24, 2003, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In all, it added up to 53 All-Star appearances.

Notes

Flags were at half-staff and a moment of silence was observed one day after the death of Pope John Paul II, who celebrated mass at Yankee Stadium in 1979.


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: chockees; mlb; riverachokes; spankees; yanksux
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To: Mr. Mojo; F16Fighter; NYCVirago

Hey, only 92 more wins to go!


121 posted on 05/05/2005 1:05:12 PM PDT by big'ol_freeper ("Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." Pope JPII)
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To: big'ol_freeper
lol.....damn, I was hoping this thread would die a quiet death ;)

I concede (even though it's only early May).

You win.

All the "Yankees suck" comments of the past decade were merely expressions of intense envy, without any merit whatsoever.

Now, finally, they're true.

122 posted on 05/05/2005 1:09:11 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

LOL..actually the minute I read your post I bookmarked it for later in the season should the Yankees suffer another crushing defeat (I believe my post #7? says that). I think you are conceding a bit early. The reason I decided to post now was because I think the Yankees are about to snap out of it and I wanted to get in on the low point! Its a long season...heck the Sox did not play better than .500 ball until mid-July last year.


123 posted on 05/05/2005 4:14:03 PM PDT by big'ol_freeper ("Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." Pope JPII)
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To: big'ol_freeper
Its a long season

Normally I'd agree with you, but a close look look at this Yankee team reveals enormous (and perhaps insurmountable) problems, starting with pitching. Kevin Brown is through, Mussina's 2-year trend of regularly giving up the long ball is getting much worse, the Big Unit is looking 41 (but can come up with a big performance on occasion), Jaret Wright is hurt (and has never proven himself to be a winner anyway), and Carl Pavano is looking okay.

The relief? What relief?

Can't win w/o great pitching.

They'll be fortunate to win 90.

124 posted on 05/05/2005 4:27:41 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: big'ol_freeper; Mr. Mojo
LOL..actually the minute I read your post I bookmarked it for later in the season should the Yankees suffer another crushing defeat (I believe my post #7? says that). I think you are conceding a bit early. The reason I decided to post now was because I think the Yankees are about to snap out of it and I wanted to get in on the low point! Its a long season...heck the Sox did not play better than .500 ball until mid-July last year.

Well, I think they've hit rock bottom now, reaching last place and losing three of four to the Devil Rays. IMHO, the quickest fix solution they could do to increase morale, both with the team and the fans, is to release Kevin Brown! Torre's still insisting on throwing him out to pitch on Sunday at the Stadium. I think that after he gives up the inevitable six runs, that the Yankees should cut him during the game, and have Bob Shepard announce it. I guarantee you it would get the biggest ovation of the year! ;)

More seriously, I think it's time for Torre to retire. He has obviously lost control of this team, really since last year's playoff debacle. I'm of the opinion that the optimum time for a manager to run a team is five years. Torre's on his tenth year now. He doesn't have the fire anymore, and he doesn't seem to be getting through to the team.

125 posted on 05/05/2005 7:02:50 PM PDT by NYCVirago
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To: NYCVirago
That is almost unthinkable, because Torre is such a class act and a tremendous manager. Its not him, but they definately need a shakeup. Had not watched any Yankee games until last night and it was very noticable that they are just going through the motions. Looks to me like they need a guy like Larry Bowa to come in and knock some heads together.

Of course, being a Red Sox fan, I hope they stick with the status quo!

126 posted on 05/06/2005 3:23:29 AM PDT by big'ol_freeper ("Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." Pope JPII)
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To: big'ol_freeper
That is almost unthinkable, because Torre is such a class act and a tremendous manager. Its not him, but they definately need a shakeup. Had not watched any Yankee games until last night and it was very noticable that they are just going through the motions. Looks to me like they need a guy like Larry Bowa to come in and knock some heads together. Of course, being a Red Sox fan, I hope they stick with the status quo!

We agree! Yeah, I would have laughed at the idea of Bowa a year ago. Now I'm not so sure it's such a bad idea. This team absolutely does need somebody to kick some butt -- unfortunately, that's not Torre's style.

I read something the other day about how Brown refused to give interviews, and Torre said he was unhappy about it, but there was nothing he could do (what, he couldn't tell him to talk to the press??) And Brown had also refused to do a rehab start when getting off the DL this year. You can't let a player dictate things to the manager like that, especially when that player is pitching as horrendously as Brown is. That's a sign to me that Torre has lost control of this team.

127 posted on 05/06/2005 9:36:01 AM PDT by NYCVirago
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