Yankees Win Opener on Walkoff

The New York Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon in their exhibition opener. The game was tied 3-3 when Colin Curtis hit a walkoff 3 run homerun in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory for the Yankees. A.J. Burnett wasn't around to deliver the pie, but it was a good start as the Yankees started the way they ended with a win. The Yankees also continued on a trend last year of walkoff wins, they sure seem to love the pie. Here are some of the stats and the notes from today. Alex Rodriguez recorded the Yankees first hit of the spring. Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves each pitched 2 scoreless innings. They each also had a strikeout and Gaudin was the only one who allowed a hit with a infield single to lead off the game. Nick Johnson had a rbi double and made a nice pick over at first. He has always been a good first baseman and will provide great defense when Mark Teixeira is dhing or taking a day off. Jon Albaladejo had a rocky outing, he gave up 2 hits and 3 runs without recording an out. Royce Ring pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts. Jason Hirsh faced 2 batters and struck them both out. Sanit pitched a scoreless inning. I really don't know much about him but he is a minor league pitcher. Ramiro Pena had a solo homerun, he was the utility guy last season and I would think he is the frontrunner for the same job this season. He started it off the right way and he did make a couple of nice plays in the field, he is known for his defense though. George Steinbrenner was at the field briefly, he was driven through the concourse and quickly driven out. CC Sabathia is scheduled for 2 innings or 35 pitches tomorrow when he faces Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. Javier Vazquez threw a bullpen today becoming the last starter to do so, Joba felt better today and threw a bullpen and then went home. If he feels ok tomorrow he will be good to go for Friday. Derek Jeter, A-rod,Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Jon Weber, Francisco Cervelli, P.J. Pilittere and Mike Rivera. If I see this correctly that is 3 catchers which would lead me to belive we will see top prospect Jesus Montero in the game tomorrow. There is Joe Girardi and Curtis Granderson audio up on the great Lohud Yankees Blog by Chad Jennings. You can hear it at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/. The Yankees take on the Phillies tomorrow in Clearwater at 1:00pm, the game is on the MLB network.