Stanton, Yankees pound Jays
Giancarlo Stanton made the expected impression in his New York Yankees debut, and more.
Stanton began his Yankees career with the hardest-hit, opposite-field home run since Major League Baseball began tracking exit velocity in 2015, doubled and hit a second homer into the center field party deck in the ninth. His four RBI led the Yankees to a 6-1 rout of the Blue Jays yesterday in Toronto and gave Aaron Boone in a win in his first game as a professional manager.
Luis Severino (1-0) pitched 5C scoreless innings for the Yankees, who won their opener for the first time since 2011.
Stanton led the major leagues with 59 home runs last year and won the NL MVP, then was acquired from Derek Jeter’s payrollparing Miami Marlins to join AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge on the resurgent Bronx Bombers, who fell one win shy of reaching the World Series last year.
Stanton took a strike from J.A. Happ (0-1) in the first inning, then hit a 426-foot, two-run drive to right measured at 117.3 mph. Stanton added an RBI double in the fifth and hit a 434-foot home run in the ninth off Tyler Clippard.
Brett Gardner a leadoff home run off Danny Barnes in the seventh. Judge singled, doubled and walked for New York, which opened the season with a road win for the first time since 2006 at Oakland.
White Sox 14, Royals 7 — Matt Davidson became the fourth player in major league history to go deep three times on Opening Day, part of the team’s six-homer day as Chicago spoiled host Kansas City’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Tim Anderson homered twice and Jose Abreu went deep for the White Sox, who picked up James Shields (1-0) in a big way after the former Royals ace surrendered four runs in the first inning.
Shields wound up lasting six innings, holding Kansas City without a hit after that shaky first.
Of the four players with three homers in an opener, three have done it against the Royals, while the six homers by Chicago on Opening Day matched the big league record set by the Mets in 1988.
Astros 4, Rangers 1 — In Arlington, Texas, World Series MVP George Springer hit a leadoff homer in the opener for the second year in a row, Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings and Houston started its championship defense by beating Texas.
Jake Marisnick also homered for the Astros, whose 57th year as a franchise began as reigning World Series champs for the first time.
Springer hit a 2-0 pitch off Cole Hamels (0-1) into the right field seats, becoming the only player in MLB history with leadoff homers in consecutive season openers.
Orioles 3, Twins 2 — Adam Jones homered on Fernando Rodney’s first pitch starting the bottom of the 11th inning, and host Baltimore beat Minnesota for its eighth consecutive Opening Day victory.
After working out of trouble in the 10th, Rodney’s debut with the Twins came to an abrupt end when Jones went deep to left.
Richard Bleier (1-0) worked one inning for the Orioles, who made the most of five hits.
Minnesota has lost nine of its past 10 openers, including three against Baltimore.
Athletics 6, Angels 5 — Marcus Semien singled into an empty center field with one out in the 11th inning, beating Los Angeles’ fiveman infield to lift host Oakland to an Opening Day win.
Boog Powell hit a one-out triple off Noe Ramirez (01) to start the winning rally. Matt Joyce was intentionally walked to bring up Semien, who delivered his first career game-ending RBI.
National League
Mets 9, Cardinals 4 — Yoenis Cespedes drove in three runs and newcomer Adrian Gonzalez hit a goahead double to lead Noah Syndergaard and host New York past St. Louis.
Syndergaard (1-0) struck out 10 and walked none in six innings after missing most of last season with a torn lat muscle. Leadoff man Brandon Nimmo, subbing for injured All-Star Michael Conforto, reached safely four times and scored twice as the Mets chased a furious Carlos Martinez in the fifth inning to make Mickey Callaway a winner in his first game as a manager.
The Cardinals signed AllStar closer Greg Holland to a one-year, $14 million contract, pending a physical.
Cubs 8, Marlins 4 — Ian Happ homered on the first pitch of the major league season, and Anthony Rizzo made his emotional homecoming even more memorable with a home run, leading Chicago to a win in Miami.
Rizzo homered into the upper deck in the second inning — an unscripted tribute to the victims of last month’s shooting at his former high school in Parkland. He plans to host four families of the victims tonight.
Giants 1, Dodgers 0 — Joe Panik homered off Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning and San Francisco won in Los Angeles, dealing the threetime NL Cy Young Award winner his first loss in his franchise-record eighth consecutive Opening Day start.
It was the first run allowed this year by Kershaw, including spring training. His seven hits allowed were the most off him on Opening Day, when he is 5-1.
Braves 8, Phillies 5 — Nick Markakis hit a threerun homer with two out in the ninth inning, capping host Atlanta’s comeback from a five-run deficit that rocked Philadelphia and ruined the managing debut of Gabe Kapler.
Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies also homered for the Braves.
Brewers 2, Padres 1 — Orlando Arcia singled in Ji-Man Choi with two outs in the 12th inning to lift Milwaukee to a win in San Diego.
The rebuilding Padres will get their first real look at one of their top pitching prospects when Joey Lucchesi starts tonight in place of the injured Dinelson Lamet.
Reds-Nationals, ppd. — Cincinnati, which had its opener against Washington pushed back until today because of rain, placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the paternity list.
Interleague
Tigers-Pirates, ppd. — The season opener between Pittsburgh and Detroit was postponed because of bad weather. It was rescheduled for today.