Ever since Tino Martinez returned to the New York Yankees, the cheers haven't stopped.
Every move made by the beloved first baseman in his first week in pinstripes after three years away has been greeted with an ovation worthy of the major league baseball playoffs in October.
From his first steps out of the dugout on opening day to the diving grab as a defensive replacement later that night to his first home run -- a fifth-inning solo shot Wednesday that required a curtain call -- Yankees fans can't get enough of Martinez, an integral member of four World Series title teams in his six years in New York.
PHOTO: AFP
"Tino's always been one of the fan favorites," shortstop Derek Jeter said. "One thing about these fans is they don't forget."
And he gave them plenty of reasons to remember: A grand slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series against San Diego, a tying homer off Arizona's Kim Byung-hyun with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 4 in 2001, at least 25 home runs and 105 RBIs in five of his six seasons.
The Yankees called the 37-year-old with boyish good looks and an electric smile this offseason because of the uncertainty surrounding Jason Giambi after a 2004 season ruined by injury, and a winter marred by the tumult of the doping scandal.
Martinez relished the opportunity to rejoin his close friends Jeter and Jorge Posada, and to finish his career in New York, where he hit 175 homers from 1996-2001.
"They are not only friends of mine, Jorge and Jeter, and you can add Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera to that, but the hunger they have to win is intriguing," he said. "That's why I wanted to come back -- that hunger to win."
Martinez said he is back with the Yankees "not to recapture the old days, but to recapture the old attitude."
He moved into the same neighborhood in Manhattan and was given his old number, 24 -- without asking for it.
But gone is the prime locker a few steps from the players' lounge; that belongs to Alex Rodriguez now. Martinez was assigned a stall usually reserved for a veteran role player (Tony Clark in 2003), and that suits him just fine.
Also gone is an everyday spot in the lineup, and he's OK with that, too.
"I'm excited about it. It'll keep me fresh and help Jason stay fresh," Martinez said. "That's exactly the situation I anticipated when I signed."
The start of his first stint in New York wasn't so easy. Acquired in a trade with Seattle after the 1995 season, Martinez had the unenviable task of succeeding Yankees captain and nine-time Gold Glove winner Don Mattingly.
"People sat on their hands for the longest time," said Joe Torre, who took over as manager the same year Martinez arrived.
Slowly, fans began to appreciate Martinez's solid defense and clutch hitting, and chants of ``Tino! Tino!'' eventually replaced the singsong serenade of "Donnie Baseball."
"People liked the way he played the game -- the passion," Torre added.
That was never more apparent than in June 2003, when as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Martinez hit two homers in his return to Yankee Stadium and received several memorable ovations.
"It was almost embarrassing to get one as the opposing team," Martinez said.
New York's teams of the late 1990s were characterized by the gritty, win-at-all-cost devotion of Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, Jeter and Martinez.
But during the 2001 series, it became apparent Martinez was probably not going to be re-signed. Torre even did the seemingly unthinkable and benched him in Game 2.
After six seasons in New York, Martinez signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals to be Mark McGwire's replacement.
Martinez struggled with St. Louis, hitting just 36 homers and driving in 144 runs -- his RBI total in 1997 -- in two seasons, and was traded to his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Torre was happy to be reunited with one of the players he relied on to lead in the clubhouse, and he knew that Martinez would make an immediate impact. Jeter, who lives near Martinez in Florida in the offseason, said "it's almost like he never left," a sentiment Martinez shared.
"When you know Joe Torre inside out, you can help him out without him having to say anything to different players," Martinez said. "When there's something going on in the clubhouse, certain situations, you can go up to that player and say something."
The Yankees haven't won a World Series title since 2000, and often when asked what's the difference between the championship clubs and those of the past few seasons, Jeter's diplomatic stock answer is that this isn't the same team. Having Martinez back makes it a little bit more like those championship teams.
"Tino's intense," Jeter said. "Those are the type of players we need."
Bronson Arroyo won his first start of the season, and Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon homered to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 Friday for their second straight win under interim manager Brad Mills.
Earlier Friday, Red Sox manager Terry Francona was released from a Boston hospital, two days after experiencing chest pains In New York that doctors said were likely caused by a virus. Francona is expected to return for Monday's home opener at Fenway Park.
"It feels good to let him sit at home and not have any stress, and pull a couple out," Arroyo said. "Hopefully, we can win every game until he comes back, that way we can tell him that he's got to sit on the sidelines and let Millsie take the reins for a little bit."
Before a crowd of 50,560 at Toronto home opener, Arroyo (1-0) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings. Keith Foulke allowed a pair of runs in the ninth, then retired Orlando Hudson with the bases loaded for his first save.
"Bad pitches, bad location and they almost came all the way back," Foulke said.
Russ Adams and Eric Hinske hit solo homers for the Blue Jays. David Bush (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits in five innings.
Orioles 12, Yankees 5
In New York, Sidney Ponson (1-0) put an offseason of trouble behind him, allowing four runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings as Baltimore beat New York.
Brian Roberts hit a two-run homer off Jaret Wright (0-1) -- making his Yankees debut -- drove in four runs and finished a double short of the cycle. Luis Matos scored three runs and finished a homer short of the feat. Miguel Tejada had three of Baltimore's 18 hits.
Wright gave up six runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.
Indians 4, Tigers 3
In Detroit, Aaron Boone broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth with a two-run homer off Ugueth Urbina (0-1) to lead Cleveland over Detroit.
It was Boone's first home run since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series for the New York Yankees at Florida.
David Riske (1-0) forced in a run in the eighth before retiring Bobby Higginson on an inning-ending flyout, and Bob Wickman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save, two days after blowing a lead at Chicago.
Devil Rays 3, Athletics 2
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Nick Green hit a broken-bat single in the 10th off Juan Cruz (0-1) after Joey Gathright's leadoff triple and an intentional walk to Carl Crawford as Tampa Bay edged Oakland.
Danys Baez (2-0) threw 1 2-3 scoreless innings. He faced one hitter in the ninth, getting Erubiel Durazo to hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Baez also escaped a two on, one-out jam in the 10th.
Josh Phelps hit an RBI double in the first and Jorge Cantu hit his third homer of the season in the second. He homered twice in 173 at-bats last season.
White Sox 5, Twins 1
In Minneapolis, Orlando Hernandez (1-0) allowed one run and six hits in seven innings in his White Sox debut as Chicago beat Minnesota.
Paul Konerko and Aaron Rowand hit sixth-inning homers off Kyle Lohse (0-1) in Minnesota's home opener, which drew an overcapacity crowd of 48,764.
Carl Everett went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for Chicago. Rookie Jason Bartlett went 2-for-4, driving in Minnesota's only run with a double in the third.
Royals 6, Angels 2
In Anaheim, California, Denny Bautista allowed three hits over eight innings to lead Kansas City over Los Angeles for his first major league victory.
Bautista (1-0) struck out eight, walked none and retired 15 of his last 16 batters in his sixth big league start, taming an offense that had the highest team batting average in the majors last season at .282.
Mike Sweeney hit a pair of RBI doubles for the Royals.
Paul Byrd (0-1) allowed six runs -- four earned -- and nine hits in his Angels debut.
Mariners 9, Rangers 6
In Seattle, Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer and Willie Bloomquist added a two-run single as Seattle downed Texas.
Texas wasted leads of 2-0, 4-3 and 6-5, and Seattle 3-2 and 5-4 advantages before going ahead for good.
After the Rangers went ahead in the top of the eighth against J.J. Putz (1-0) on run-scoring errors by first baseman Richie Sexson and shortstop Wilson Valdez, Bret Boone doubled off Nick Regilio (0-1) leading off the bottom half and Ibanez homered for a 7-6 lead. Bloomquist, in his first at-bat of the season, singled with the bases loaded off R.A. Dickey.
Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his first save since last July 22. He missed the final two months of last season because a torn rotator cuff and a left knee injury.
Larry Walker tied the game with a four-pitch walk in the eighth inning and Albert Pujols followed with another walk that forced in the go-ahead run of the Cardinals' 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.
The defending National League champion Cardinals, starting their final season at Busch Stadium, trailed 5-1 after five innings. But Philadelphia failed to hold a lead for the third straight game and dropped its record to 1-3.
Mark Mulder had a mediocre Cardinals' debut, allowing five runs -- four earned -- and nine hits in six innings. He walked four and striking out just three.
"I'm not very happy with it," Mulder said. "I just tried to battle and hang in there."
New St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein reached base in all five plate appearances, making it eight in a row over a two-game span on three singles, a double, three walks and a hit by pitch.
Philadelphia took a four-run lead into the sixth before Reggie Sanders hit an RBI double that went off the center-field wall, the ball popping out of Jason Michaels' glove as he made contact. Pujols hit into a run-scoring double play in the seventh, and the Cardinals went ahead with a three-run eighth.
Brewers 6, Cubs 3, 12 innings
In Chicago, Junior Spivey and Lyle Overbay got RBI singles in the 12th inning after a rally in the ninth against LaTroy Hawkins as Milwaukee downed Chicago.
Spivey snapped the tie with a two-run liner to left after Milwaukee loaded the bases off Jon Leicester (0-1) before Overbay singled.
Milwaukee stranded 16 runners and had two more thrown out trying to steal. Kerry Wood and seven Cubs relievers combined to walk 12. Chicago was one strike away from a 3-2 victory in the ninth.
Jorge De La Rosa (1-0) pitched two hitless innings for his first major league victory, and Mike Adams threw a perfect 12th for his first career save.
Braves 3, Mets 1
In Atlanta, New York fell to 0-4 for the first time since 1964 as John Thomson (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in seven innings. Atlanta has won three straight since an opening-day loss despite scoring just nine runs this season.
Roman Colon stranded Jose Reyes at second base after a single and steal in the eighth inning and Danny Kolb pitched the ninth for his third save in three chances.
Mets starter Victor Zambrano (0-1) allowed two runs, five hits and four walks in five innings.
Marlins 9, Nationals 0
In Miami, Dontrelle Willis (1-0) pitched a five-hitter for his third career shutout, and Miguel Cabrera homered twice for Florida in the first blanking of Washington.
Tomo Ohka (0-1) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings, dropping to 1-9 with a 5.07 ERA against Florida.
Astros 3, Reds 2
In Houston, Roger Clemens (1-0) allowed one run in seven innings and hit a tiebreaking, two-run single for Houston, tying Steve Carlton for ninth place with his 329th win.
Coming off his record seventh Cy Young pitching award, Clemens walked none and struck out nine, raising his career total to 4,326. The 42-year-old right-hander, who had planned to retire after the 2003 season and again last winter, retired his first 11 batters until Sean Casey's two-out liner to shallow center in the fourth.
Cincinnati's only run off him with a fifth-inning homer by Joe Randa.
Brad Lidge got four outs for his second save. Matt Belisle (0-1) was the loser.
Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 7
In Phoenix, Pinch-hitter Jose Valentin had a two-run homer that capped a four-run ninth inning as Los Angeles beat Arizona.
Troy Glaus put the Diamondbacks up 7-4 with a three-run homer in the eighth inning.
Arizona closer Brandon Lyon (0-1) struck out Olmedo Saenz leading off the ninth, then Antonio Perez reached on Glaus' error at third. Jason Phillips popped out, Ricky Ledee doubled in one run, and Cesar Izturis' RBI single cut the lead to 7-6.
Lyon got ahead 0-2 in the count against Valentin, who then homered to right to give the Dodgers the lead.
Yhency Brazoban, the Dodgers' closer in place of injured Eric Gagne, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save. Steve Schmoll (1-0) got the win.
Pirates 3, Padres 2
In San Diego, Josh Fogg (1-0) allowed one run and four hits in 6 1-3 innings, and also singled and scored as Pittsburgh beat San Diego for its first win.
Fogg and three relievers combined on a six-hitter. Jose Mesa pitched the ninth but gave up a two-out RBI double to Khalil Greene before getting the save.
Craig Wilson hit a bases-loaded, two-run single with two outs in the third off Brian Lawrence (0-1) after Fogg opened the inning with a single.
Giants 10, Rockies 8
In San Francisco, Marquis Grissom hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and San Francisco beat Colorado.
Grissom connected on a 2-2 pitch from Scott Dohmann that hit the left-field wall and bounced over for his first homer of the year.
Jason Christiansen (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the victory, spoiling a remarkable rally by the Rockies.
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