BRONX, N.Y. — After a 3-3 West Coast swing, the New York Yankees returned to the Bronx for their home opener. Hosting the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers won their 2000 home opener by a final count of 8-6.
It wasn’t much of a pitching clinic as opposing starters Darren Oliver and David Cone posted nearly identical lines. Both pitchers toiled five frames apiece, scattering eight hits and yielding four runs.
Bernie Williams swung the pendulum in the Bombers favor in the fifth, booming a three-run homer into the Yankee bullpen in left-center for a 4-2 advantage.
As the two clubs jostled back and forth, New York battled back to take the lead for keeps in the seventh inning. Following consecutive singles by Paul O’Neill and Williams, Tino Martinez smoked a tw0-run, go-ahead triple to right off Mike Munoz, giving the Yanks a 7-6 edge. Ricky Ledee would add some insurance by plating Martinez with an RBI-single to right off Mike Venafro.
Jeff Nelson was able to settle things down with a perfect eighth.
Mariano Rivera whiffed Ruben Mateo to close out the ninth.
