Yankees Need Only One Inning From Irabu

Just as George Steinbrenner had wanted, Hideki Irabu pitched Wednesday--but it was only the ninth inning, in relief of a dominant Ramiro Mendoza.

Mendoza pitched eight shutout innings, giving up five hits and not allowing a runner to reach second base, as the New York Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics, 4-0, at Oakland.

Irabu originally was supposed to start, but infuriated Steinbrenner by not covering first base in a spring training game last week. The owner called Irabu a “fat . . . toad” and ordered him left behind when the team broke camp.

Interim Manager Don Zimmer selected Mendoza instead of Irabu for the start, and stuck to that decision even though Steinbrenner announced on Saturday that he hoped Irabu would pitch--leading to a brief cross-country tiff between Steinbrenner and Zimmer.

Irabu eventually got his chance, pitching a perfect ninth. The first two outs came on grounders to the right side of the infield and Irabu broke toward first base each time, but was not needed to make the play.

Irabu worked on covering first base as the Yankees took batting practice before Sunday’s exhibition against the Dodgers, the day he rejoined the team.

“I feel that my reaction time has gotten much better,” he said through an interpreter.

The final out came on a fly ball to the warning track in right-center.

“In [Wednesday’s] game, Don Zimmer put me in in a really good situation, which I appreciate,” Irabu said. “I’m not used to relieving and I don’t know how to go about doing that. Putting me in at the beginning of the inning was the key.”

Zimmer originally sent Irabu down to the bullpen to get in a little off-day work, and the right-hander started warming up with no anticipation of getting in the game. But Zimmer then decided to go with Irabu for an inning.

“I wanted him to get a little confidence and to get three outs. That’s a big thing for our club and for him,” Zimmer said. “I was looking for the right spot. If Mendoza got them out in the eighth, we were going to get [Irabu] in to get him on track.”

Toronto 9, Minnesota 3--David Wells wasn’t perfect against the Twins this time. He didn’t need to be, thanks to home runs from Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez and Shannon Stewart that lifted the Blue Jays at Minneapolis.

Wells (1-0), who helped the Yankees to the World Series title last year and then returned to Toronto in the Roger Clemens trade, gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings in his Blue Jay debut.

Wells’ scoreless streak against the Twins ended at 29 2/3 innings, but he still beat Minnesota for the seventh consecutive time. The left-hander pitched a perfect game against the Twins at Yankee Stadium last May 17 and hadn’t given up an earned run against them since Aug. 9, 1997.

Stewart had three hits and tied a career high with four runs batted in, including a three-run homer that gave the Blue Jays an 8-0 lead in the fifth inning. Homer Bush, acquired with Wells in the Clemens deal, and Fernandez also had three hits each.

“I was nervous tonight,” Wells said. “It was butterflies going. I was out in la-la land.”

Wells (1-0) pined for the good old days in New York, where he flourished with his bawdy personality, but he also said he was eager to continue last year’s success in Toronto, where he started his career and pitched from 1987-92.

“Those were the two best years of my entire life in New York, and they can’t take that away from me,” he said, frowning when someone turned down the Metallica playing near his locker. “I look at it this way: they got rid of me. I can’t sit here and say, ‘God, I miss you guys.’

“I miss the guys over there, I miss the city, but I’ve got a good team here. These guys have a good chance of winning this division, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Seattle 7, Chicago 3--Ken Griffey Jr. hit his second home run and went four for four at Seattle.

Rookie pitcher Freddy Garcia (1-0), who came to the Mariners from the Houston Astros as part of the Randy Johnson trade last July, gave up seven hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings to win his major league debut.

Griffey hit a a solo homer against John Snyder (0-1) in the first inning. He added a single in the third, an RBI single in the fourth and a single in the eighth. He also walked in the sixth.

Tampa Bay 8, Baltimore 5--Cal Ripken, sidelined because of injury for the first time in 17 years, watched from the dugout with a stiff back as the Orioles lost at Baltimore.

Dave Martinez homered and drove in four runs for the Devil Rays, who scored six runs against Juan Guzman (0-1) in building a 7-1 lead after four innings.

Ripken was replaced by rookie Willis Otanez, who hit his first major league homer and a double.

Ripken was available to play, but the Devil Rays made it apparent early that this would be a lopsided affair.

Boston 6, Kansas City 0--The Red Sox’ old Royals are killing their former team.

Bret Saberhagen pitched six scoreless innings, Jose Offerman got two hits and scored twice and Tom Gordon closed at Kansas City.

Saberhagen, who won 110 games and two Cy Young awards with the Royals from 1984-91, gave up only three singles and faced the minimum 13 batters through the first 4 1/3 innings.

Saberhagen, who turns 35 Sunday, yielded a leadoff single to Carlos Beltran in the first, but he was caught stealing and the Royals did not get another baserunner until Larry Sutton singled with one out in the fifth.