Inauspicious Beginning

Opening Day 2009

New York Yankees 5
Baltimore Orioles 10

WP: Jeremy Guthrie (1-0)
LP: CC Sabathia (0-1)
HR: Jorge Posada (1), Hideki Matsui (1), Cesar Izturis (1)

From the Mound

- Sabathia had nothing working for him today. He really labored through 4+ innings, allowing 6 earned runs, and didn't strike at least one batter out in a start for the first time since 2005.
- Scary Stat: Five Yankee pitchers combined for more wild pitches than strikeouts today.
- Jonathan Albaladejo, the last pitcher named to the 25-man roster, was the only reliable man out of the pen today. Phil Coke was left in too long, Brian Bruney was channeling Kyle Farnsworth, and Damaso Marte was similarly ineffective.

At the Plate

- Derek Jeter had a nice day at the plate from the leadoff spot until he stepped up with a runner on third and less than two outs and failed to drive in what would have been the tying run.
- Johnny Damon was the only other Yankee with a multi-hit ballgame.
- Jorge Posada hit the first Yankee homerun of the season, a shot into the centerfield bullpen. Hideki Matsui followed suit in the 7th.
- Mark Teixeira, booed mercilessly throughout the ballgame, went 0-4 and stranded runners in the 1st, 3rd, 7th AND 8th innings.
- The best debut for a newly-acquired Yankee? Nick Swisher, who came up with a pinch-hit double in the 8th.

Around the Diamond

- Cody Ransom looked shaky at third, botching a potential double-play ball in the 5th that was generously (and inexplicably) scored a single.

A Look Ahead

The Yankees and Orioles will enjoy a day off on Tuesday, before Wednesday night's matchup, in which Chien-Ming Wang will take on Koji Uehara, the Japanese import making his Major League debut.