CC: blame me

It went 3 hours, 46 minutes, a Yankees/Red Sox game Jorge Posada has seen many, many times in his career.

“You can’t really get comfortable with a lead here,” Posada said. “You just have to keep going.”

But it was the Red Sox who kept going, coming back from a four-run deficit and at two-run hole later to take the opener 9-7.

As Nick Swisher said: “We’re definitely not going to go 162-0 now.”

Which, of course, no one was expecting, though as Derek Jeter said, CC Sabathia with a big lead is usually a safe feeling.

And here is as good a place as any to remind everyone the Yankees did start 0-8 against the Sox a season ago and things turned out OK.

Anyway...

“Anytime you score seven runs and CC’s on the mound you like your chances,” Sabathia said. “But they battled back.”

Sabathia, spotted a 5-1 lead in the fourth, couldn’t hold on.

"I think I had good stuff, I just nibbled too much,” Sabathia said. “Early in the game I was still strike one, right there. Later in the game I’m trying to throw down and away and I’m missing down. I just think I nibbled a little too much and got behind and got in hitters counts. It’s a tough lineup to try to pitch to when you’re in hitters counts. I normally don’t do that, especially with the lead. It was just one of those days today where I kind of lost focus."

He wasn’t blaming anyone but himself.

"It was definitely all on me,” Sabathia said.

*** The bullpen, talked about as being a strength all offseason, all spring and then before the game, didn’t get the job done as none of the relievers – Dave Robertson, Chan Ho Park, Damaso Marte and Joba Chamberlain – looked particularly good.

“You don’t make too much out of one game, either way,” Girardi said. “If they had thrown all zeroes you don’t make too much of it. it’s a long season. It’s just one game.”

*** Park on the Pedroia homer: I was trying to go away but it was up and in. Missed location.”

Posada said the two Marte pitches that got away – one a wild pitch and one a passed ball – were “missed locations,” and not crossups.

“One was a slider that was too far,” Posada said. “The other was a fastball that was supposed to be down and away.”

*** The Yankees are off tomorrow before resuming the series Tuesday. We, however, will not be off tomorrow and in fact have a Live Chat, live from the Copley Place Marriott, at 11 a.m. Stop on by.