The New York Yankees opened the 2011 Major League Baseball season with a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, pretty much employing the formula Manager Joe Girardi would like to see all season long.
The Yankees got six effective innings from starting pitcher CC Sabathia, shut down relief work from Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivers, and some timely hitting as they opened the season in style at Yankee Stadium.
A three-run home run by first baseman Mark Teixeira off Detroit ace Justin Verlander gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Detroit battled back to tie the game at 3-3, but the Yankees won it with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Curtis Granderson homered off Phil Coke leading off the seventh inning to break the 3-3 tie. Granderson also made two spectacular catches in center field, a diving catch coming in in the first inning, and a racing, over-the-shoulder catch on a ball hit by Detrtoit's Brandon Inge in the ninth inning.
The teams are off on Friday. A.J. Burnett pitches Saturday for the Yankees against Brad Penny. Start time in 4:10 p.m.