Martin gives fans reason to cheer him
The Yankees' Russell Martin slides past Tigers catcher Alex Avila to score on a Derek Jeter sacrafice fly in the seventh inning and give the Yanks a 5-3 lead. (Mar. 31, 2011) Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Russell Martin knows exactly whom he supplanted at catcher and, even after a successful debut, paid tribute to the man he replaced.
"If I can somewhat fill those shoes," Martin said, his voice trailing off before he continued. "I'm not going to be able to hit like him, but as long as I can do those things defensively and take care of the pitching staff, that's what I'm worried about."
Martin went 1-for-3, stole third base and scored two runs in the Yankees' season-opening 6-3 victory over the Tigers.
It marked the end of 11 straight Opening Days in which Posada was the starting catcher. Cheered loudly in each of his at-bats as the designated hitter, Posada went 0-for-4.
"I think it's [a good start] more for the fans so the fans don't get on me," Martin said with a smile. "My main thing is to be here for the pitchers and make sure they're getting the best out of their potential.''
CC Sabathia, who has said since early in spring training that he feels comfortable with Martin, said: "I think our chemistry was pretty good out there."
Joe Girardi could not have been happier. "He had an outstanding day," he said. "He's the one who really got it [the three-run third inning] started with the single and then he steals third and puts [Justin] Verlander in a different situation where it's first and third. He set up the home run for Tex a little bit . . . I thought he did a great job with our pitching staff. It's great to see."
Girardi goes right
Girardi chose veteran right-hander Luis Ayala over left-hander Steve Garrison to take Pedro Feliciano's spot in the bullpen while Feliciano is on the DL. "We thought Luis was more equipped to be on our roster," said Girardi, noting that Garrison, 24, has never pitched above Double-A and never has appeared as a reliever. Ayala, 33, last appeared in the majors in 2009 with the Marlins.
Extra bases
Derek Jeter made his 15th Opening Day start at shortstop, further extending his franchise record at the position. Phil Rizzuto is next with 11.
