NEW YORK: Curtis Granderson hit the winning homer and Mark Teixeira had a three-run shot off Justin Verlander to lift New York over the Detroit Tigers 6-3 Thursday in the first regular-season game played in the Bronx in March. Yankees starter CC Sabathia pitched six innings, Derek Jeter added a sacrifice fly in the seventh using his new stride-less swing and Mariano Rivera earned his first save and 560th of his career. Granderson homered for the third straight opener. He connected against former Yankee Phil Coke (0-1) as New York embarked on its first full season without George Steinbrenner as owner since 1973. The Tigers tied it 3-3 in the fifth, but Granderson led off the seventh with his go-ahead homer in the first Yankees-Tigers opener in New York in 45 years. Angels 4, Royals 2: In Kansas City, Missouri, Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis homered to help Los Angeles win its season opener. Jered Weaver (1-0) allowed two singles to Melky Cabrera over 6 1-3 innings, improving to 3-0 in his last four starts against Kansas City. The 2010 MLB strikeout leader fanned six and walked two as the Angels won their opener for the seventh time in eight years. Kershaw shines Clayton Kershaw struck out nine batters in seven innings and Matt Kemp scored the go-ahead run on an error by catcher Buster Posey in the sixth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants in their season opener Thursday night. Kershaw (1-0) allowed four hits and walked one in his first opening-day start. The left-hander struck out three of the four batters he faced in the first inning, giving him 500 strikeouts in his career. Jonathan Broxton, back in the closer's role after losing it last season, gave up a one-out homer to Pat Burrell in the ninth, but hung on for the save after a scoreless eighth by Hong-Chih Kuo. Former Yankees star Don Mattingly won his managerial debut for the Dodgers, making him the first rookie manager to beat the defending World Series champions on opening day since Lou Piniella debuted with the Yankees on April 8, 1986. Reds 7, Brewers 6: In Cincinnati, Ramon Hernandez hit a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to rally Cincinnati past Milwaukee 7-6 in an opening-day flashback to their National League Central title season. The Brewers became the first team in 42 years to open the season with successive homers when Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez connected off Edinson Volquez. Padres 5, Cardinals 3, 11 innings: At St. Louis, Cameron Maybin leveled the score with a two-out homer in the ninth inning and grounded a single that led to the go-ahead run in the 11th, lifting San Diego to the victory. Albert Pujols grounded into a career-worst three double plays while going 0 for 5. The three-time National League Most Valuable Player cut off contract negotiations at the start of spring training and could be a free agent this fall. Braves 2, Nationals 0: At Washington, Chipper Jones returned from major knee surgery to score the 2011 MLB season's first run on a chilly opening day and help make Fredi Gonzalez a winner in his debut as Atlanta's manager. The Braves played their first regular-season game since Bobby Cox retired at the end of 2010 after two decades – and 15 playoff appearances – as their skipper. With his sinker in fine, darting form, Derek Lowe (1-0) allowed three singles in 5 2-3 innings. Brian McCann drove in Jones with a single off Livan Hernandez (0-1) in the first, and Jason Heyward led off the second with a homer.
