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NEW YORK: Wang Chien-ming pitched seven strong
innings as the
New York Yankees ushered in the Joe Girardi era with a 3-2 win over
Toronto on Tuesday in the final home opener at the current Yankee
Stadium.
For the first time since April
1996, the Yankees took the field with a new manager.
Girardi was named to replace Joe
Torre, who turned down a contract offer from New York following a
third straight first-round exit in the playoffs.
Wang, of Taiwan, found himself
locked in a duel with Toronto ace Roy Halladay.
Wang allowed just two runs - both
on RBI groundouts—and seven hits as his teammates rallied with a
pair of runs in the sixth and seventh off Halladay.
Halladay took a 2-1 lead into the
sixth but served up a solo home run to Melky Cabrera that just
cleared the right-field fence.
In the seventh, the Yankees
immediately began another rally.
Alex Rodriguez singled and Jason
Giambi walked. Following a one-out intentional walk to Jorge Posada,
Japan’s Hideki Matsui drove in Rodriguez with a ground ball that
was bobbled by second baseman Aaron Hill, ruining any chance of an
inning-ending double play.
Halladay also pitched seven
innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. He struck out three and
walked two.
The Yankees are expected to have
a new 51,000-seat park completed in time for the 2009 Major League
Baseball season.
--AFP
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