Hudson Shuts Down Seattle

Tim Hudson and Ricardo Rincon combined on the Athletics’ first opening-day shutout in 45 years, and Erubiel Durazo drove in all of Oakland’s runs in a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night at Oakland.

Seattle and Oakland were the final teams to start their seasons. They were supposed to open the year March 25 in Tokyo, but the two-game series was canceled because of the war with Iraq.

Hudson gave up five hits and struck out four in eight innings, getting 16 groundball outs. Rincon struck out two in a perfect ninth.

It was the first opening-day shutout in franchise history since Ned Garver pitched a seven-hitter for the Kansas City A’s to beat the Cleveland Indians in 1958.

Durazo, the designated hitter, had a two-run homer and a three-run double for the defending AL West champions.

Boston 9, Tampa Bay 8 -- Kevin Millar homered with one out in the top of the 16th inning to give the Red Sox a victory at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Devil Rays, who stranded a club-record 21 runners, had the potential game-winning run in scoring position in six innings between the eighth and 14th, but couldn’t take the lead. Red Sox left fielder Damian Jackson threw out Travis Lee trying to score from second to end the 12th.

The Red Sox were held to four hits after the sixth inning, but had a couple of chances to win before Millar’s game-winning homer bailed out a revamped bullpen that blew a three-run, late-inning lead for the second night in a row.

New York 10, Toronto 1 -- The Yankees got two homers from Jason Giambi and seven shutout innings from Andy Pettitte at Toronto.

Jorge Posada homered and drove in three runs, Giambi hit a pair of solo shots, Alfonso Soriano had two runs batted in, and backup shortstop Enrique Wilson went two for three with a run-scoring double.

Hideki Matsui went one for four with a sacrifice fly in his second game since coming over from Japan.

Matsui hit a run-scoring single Monday night in his first major league at-bat.