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BALTIMORE (AP) -
Koji Uehara
experienced a decade's worth of thrills while pitching in Japan, none of which compared to beating the
New York Yankees
in his major league debut.
Uehara allowed one run over five innings,
Nick Markakis
went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs, and the
Baltimore Orioles
beat Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees 7-5 Wednesday night.
Baltimore improved to 2-0 with its second straight win over New York.
Uehara, the first Japanese-born pitcher in Orioles history, gave up five hits and a walk before leaving with a 7-1 lead. Signed
to a two-year, $10 million contract in January, Uehara (1-0) dominated the Yankees in much the same fashion he ruled for 10
seasons with the Yomiuri Giants.
Asked where this victory ranked in his list of accomplishments, Uehara replied through a translator, ''It's right at the top.''
It was also a humbling experience for the 34-year-old right-hander.
''The Yankees have a great lineup, a lot of great players,'' Uehara said. ''It was an honor to have a chance to pitch against
them and get a win. I'm really grateful and happy.''
The Orioles provided Uehara with plenty of offensive support, all of it against Wang (0-1). Making his first start since last
June after missing the latter half of the season with a foot injury, Wang yielded seven runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings.
''It's been so long, I just wanted to win so bad,'' Wang, of Taiwan, said through a translator. ''Hopefully, I can get my
sinker back as soon as possible.''
A two-run homer by
Derek Jeter
got New York to 7-4 in the ninth, and
Mark Teixeira
greeted
George Sherrill
with an RBI double to bring the tying run to the plate. Sherrill then retired
Hideki Matsui
on a popup to earn his first save.
After losing the first two games of the series by a combined 17-10 score, the Yankees - who own baseball's highest 2009 payroll
at $201 million - will turn to newcomer A.J. Burnett on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep against a team that last year
lost 93 games and finished in the AL East cellar.
''I don't see any panic here,'' left fielder
Johnny Damon
said. ''But right now, I don't think anybody expected us to be in this situation.''
New York's offseason spending spree has yet to provide the desired results. CC Sabathia ($161 million contract) took the loss
in the opener, and Teixeira ($180 million) went 1-for-5 Wednesday and is 1-for-9 in two games.
Although the crowd of 22,856 was less than half the opening-day sellout, most in attendance continued the practice of booing
Teixeira during every at-bat because the hometown player spurned the Orioles to sign with New York.
Baltimore sent nine hitters to the plate during a five-run fourth inning that made it 7-1.
Gregg Zaun
doubled in a run and
Cesar Izturis
hit an RBI grounder before
Adam Jones
added a sacrifice fly. Markakis then chased Wang with a two-run homer to right.
It was Wang's shortest start since going 2 2-3 innings against Toronto in August 2007. It was also the first time in nine
starts since Sept. 15, 2007, in Boston, that Wang lost on the road.
''He never got his sinker going,'' Yankees manager
Joe Girardi
said. ''When he doesn't have a sinker, he's going to struggle and that's what happened.''
The Orioles used successive doubles by Jones, Markakis and
Aubrey Huff
to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The damage might have been more severe if Huff didn't get caught trying to steal third
before
Melvin Mora
got Baltimore's fourth straight hit, an infield single.
The Yankees had a runner in each of the first three innings before finally breaking through in the fourth on a two-out single
by
Xavier Nady
and
Cody Ransom
's RBI double off the center-field wall.
But for the most part, Uehara kept New York off balance by mixing his split-finger fastball with a changeup he learned from
Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
''We didn't hit too many balls off him,'' Damon said. ''His changeup was good and he kept his fastball down. He has a good
idea out there.''
The Yankees closed to 7-2 against
Matt Albers
in the sixth on doubles by
Jorge Posada
and
Robinson Cano
.
Notes: Matsui went 0-for-3 against countryman Uehara. ... Jones reached base five straight times to open the season before
grounding out in the third. ... Wang was 24-5 in his previous 38 starts. ... Yankees starters in two games have yet to record
a strikeout.
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