CC Sabathia was terrible in his Yankees debut and Mark Teixeira didn't fare much better under intense boos all game long from the Baltimore faithful, and the Orioles banged out a 10-5 win on Opening Day.
New shortstop Cesar Izturis went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning (and yes, it was quite debatable) and made a great stop in the field earlier in the game that had Xavier Nady caught between third base and home. Nady immediately gave up and got tagged out.
The top two in the Oriole lineup were dominant, with Brian Roberts going 3-for-4 with a walk and Adam Jones getting on base five times. He had a two-RBI triple off of Sabathia and walked twice. Nick Markakis batted third and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Aubrey Huff got a two-run double in the eighth to seal the deal. He had three batted in for the game.
The only starting Oriole that didn't get a hit was Luke Scott, and Luke walked twice. Everyone in the lineup reached base, and only Huff and ZAUN didn't get on more than once. The O's drew eight walks and struck out just twice. The had runners on and put the ball in play all day.
Sabathia (0-1) went just four and a third, giving up six earned on eight hits and five walks, and he couldn't strike out anyone. In all 35 of his starts in 2008, Sabathia never failed to record a K, and only once did he fan less than three hitters (April 16 against Detroit, with one whiff). It was the first time since July 25, 2005 that Sabathia failed to record a K.
Teixeira, who was just enormously hated in Baltimore, was 0-for-4 with a walk in his Yankee debut.
Jeremy Guthrie (1-0) went six full innings, giving up three earned on seven hits, with three walks and three strikeouts. He was relieved by Chris Ray, who gave up a two-run homer to Hideki Matsui. In a scary happening, Jamie Walker couldn't get out the lefty he was brought in to face, but Dennis Sarfate shut the door in the seventh. Jim Johnson and George Sherrill closed it out in the eighth and ninth.
Some notes:
- Flat Breezy really put on some poundage this winter. Holy pearl.
- Felix Pie got to make his O's debut when he subbed for Luke Scott in the ninth inning in left field.
- Ty Wigginton: Not swift. Jim Palmer: Calls him "Wiggington."
- Jim Palmer hates the World Baseball Classic and refers to it only as "The Bud Selig International Baseball Tournament."
- Vice President Joe Biden was in pretty classic form in the MASN booth. "I couldn't make it in pro sports, so I figured, 'What the hell? I'll be Vice President.'"
- Cody Ransom is no Alex Rodriguez.
- Adam Jones didn't just get a lot of clear balls on his walks, he really worked counts better. That might not last (given his history, it's unlikely it really lasts) but he at least is putting the effort in. That's exactly what you'd expect. His reputation is well-deserved.
- Sabathia and Jorge Posada really need to work on their communication. They were horrible.
- There was a play early in the game, a hit-and-run by the Yankees, where Izturis went to cover the bag on a steal. That should be Roberts' cover with the righty up. Jeter put an ugly swing on it and poked it through the gaping hole at short. I was worried that we were in for some vintage O's incompetence.