It's The House That Sizemore Built

INDIANS 10
YANKEES 2

Not exactly what Yankee fans envisioned when they were dreaming about the first regular season game in the history of the new Yankee Stadium. After a pre-game ceremony to inaugurate in the new ballpark, the Cleveland Indians went ahead and broke in the Yankee stadium, pounding 13 hits and scoring 10 runs in the opening regular season game.

C.C. Sabathia once again was shaky in a big spot. He surrendered only a single run but lasted only five and two-thirds innings, throwing 115 pitches, walking five batters to boot. It was the first time that Sabathia faced his old team since they traded him to Milwaukee last summer. Was it nerves again? One never knows, but if Sabathia continues to build a repuation of a guy who gets nervous when it matters most, the Yankees are in big trouble.

After the Yankees tied the game on a Jorge Posada homer in the fifth, the Indians brought out their hitting gloves in the seventh. Cleveland torched the Yankee bullpen for nine runs and five hits in the seventh, sending 12 batters to the plate. With Victor Martinez and Mark DeRosa already on base, Johnny Peralta doubled to the right field corner to drive in both runners to give the Indians a 3-1 lead.

Joe Giradi had to make a move, so he took out Desemo Marte out of the game for Jose Veras. Big mistake. Veras hit Shin-Soo Choo, then allowed Ben Francisco to reach on a fielder's choice to load up the bases. Kelly Shoppach laced a single to right-center to drive in Peralta, making it 4-1. Three batters later, Grady Sizemore blasted a grand slam homer to the new bleacher creatures in right field to give the Indians a shocking 9-1 lead. Victor Martinez capped the inning with a solo shot of his own to make it 10-1 Tribe.

Cliff Lee, who had struggled in his first two starts this season for the Indians, settled in against the Yankees, pitching six solid innings for his first victory of the year. Last season, Lee won 22 games and was a Cy Young award winner, so he is due for some big victories in the coming weeks.

The Yankee bullpen is a mess. They have to address it. If the Yankees have any plans of getting the ball into the hands of Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning, they must find a guy to get the team through the seventh and eighth inning. One of those guys should be Joba Chamberlain, but the Yankees are still trying to fool themselves into thinking that Joba can be a starting pitcher.

Someone needs to tell the Yankees to make a change sooner rather than later. BOXSCORE.

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