Mussina Has Right Stuff for Yankees

Mike Mussina fit right in to the New York Yankees’ star-studded pitching staff.

Mussina followed up strong starts by Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte by pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a sparkling debut for New York in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

“There were a lot of places I could have gone where they would have sent me out as the opening-day starter and expected me to win 22 games,” Mussina said. “That’s not the case here. Pitching behind Roger and especially Pettitte, [him] being left-handed, really helps me. I hope it keeps up all year.”

Mussina, who signed an $88.5 million, six-year contract in November as a free agent, was cool and efficient, using a lively fastball, an effective changeup and his knuckle curve to shut down the Royals on five hits.

Paul O’Neill hit a solo homer in the first inning for the only run the Yankees needed against Dan Reichert (0-1). The three-time World Series champions have opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 1995.

Predictably, starting pitching has been the biggest reason. Clemens, Pettitte and Mussina have given up four runs and 18 hits in 23 innings for a 3-0 record and a 1.57 earned-run average, with Clemens giving up three runs and Pettitte one.

Toronto 11, Tampa Bay 0--Chris Carpenter (1-0) gave up four hits and struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings at St. Petersburg, Fla., to improve to 5-1 against the Devil Rays.

Darrin Fletcher’s two-run double keyed a four-run first inning after Ben Grieve misjudged Raul Mondesi’s fly ball to right for a two-base error and Vinny Castilla misplayed Brad Fullmer’s bases-loaded grounder to third, allowing two runs to score.

Tampa Bay made five errors and just two of seven runs off Bryan Rekar (0-1) were earned.

Minnesota 9, Detroit 5--Reliever Todd Jones (0-1) wasted a ninth-inning lead, then gave up three more runs in the 10th at Detroit.

Doug Mientkiewicz hit a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth and, after Jones loaded the bases in the 10th, Corey Koskie hit a sacrifice fly off C.J. Nitkowski, who then threw a run-scoring wild pitch and gave up a two-run double to Denny Hocking.

Baltimore 2, Boston 1--Derek Lowe (0-2) walked Melvin Mora with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Baltimore, forcing in the winning run.

Held hitless by Hideo Nomo one night earlier, the Orioles managed six hits off Frank Castillo and three relievers. Baltimore scored only four runs in 29 innings during the three-game series, but won twice.