The New York Yankees took advantage of wildness by Detroit closer Jose Valverde and some poor play in the field to snap a 3-3 ninth-inning tie and earn a 5-3 victory over the Tigers Monday night at Comerican Park. Joba Chamberlain (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to get the win for the Yankees and Mariano Rivera earned his 11th save.
The Yankees used two walks and two hits, one an infield hit by Alex Rodriguez and a passed ball to score their ninth-inning runs.
New York once again sold solid starting pitching from the surprising Bartolo Colon, who surrendered three runs in seven innings of work. The Yankees scored two runs in the first inning and one in the third against Detroit ace Justin Verlander, then did not score again until the final inning.
The teams meet again Tuesday night at Comerica Park in Game 2 of a four-game series.