Game Day - Yankees vs. Pirates

It's a packed house at George M Steinbrenner Field to watch the Yankees take on the Pirates in their spring opener. All fans in attendance get a C.C. Sabathia bobblehead, which makes me regret that I didn't make the trip down to Tampa. Tune in to YES at 1:05 p.m. to watch.

Here are the lineups:

Yankees
Derek Jeter - SS
Curtis Granderson - CF
Mark Teixeira - 1B
Alex Rodriguez - 3B
Marcus Thames - DH
Jamie Hoffman - RF
Brett Gardner - LF
Francisco Cervelli - C
Ramiro Pena - 2B

Chad Gaudin - RHP

Pirates
Andrew McCutchen - CF
Akinori Iwamura - 2B
Garrett Jones - RF
Ryan Doumit - C
Ryan Church - DH
Lastings Milledge - LF
Jeff Clement - 1B
Andy LaRoche - 3B
Ronny Cendeno - SS

Paul Maholm - LHP

Things to watch: Sergio Mitre and Alfedo Aceves are also scheduled to pitch, all three starters are part of the rotation competition. Curtis Granderson is slotted in the two hole even though the Pirates have a lefty on the mound. The game features five players who figure to be a part of the everyday lineup. Granderson is patrolling center and Gardner is in left, Girardi is going to be swapping those two positions throughout the spring in order to see where each is most comfortable. Former Yankee Ross Ohlendorf will be pitching for Pittsburgh, he showed tremendous improvement last year and figures to be a steady part of their rotation.

A quick breakdown will follow the game. Enjoy the first taste of baseball everyone!

Game Notes:

It was an auspicious and exciting beginning to the spring season. With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 9th, 25-year-old outfielder Colin Curtis hit a walk-off three-run home run. Unfortunately, there was no whip cream pie in his face.

Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffman showed some range in right by making a nice catch on a deep fly ball that was affected by the wind. He's a big guy, but he can move and plays solid defense. Gardner followed with a nice play in left, making a diving catch of another wind-blown deep fly.

All the starters, except for Ramiro Pena, were removed in the 5th inning. Nick Johnson, the only regular to be subbed in, replaced Teixeira at first.

Box Score

Impressions of the Pitchers: 

Chad Gaudin - Threw two scoreless innings, 34 pitches and 23 strikes. Worked around a lead-off single in the first and battled through some at bats. Settled down and looked good in the second.

Sergio Mitre - Pitched two perfect innings. Sinker was working well and he induced a lot of grounders. Looked the best out of all the pitchers today. 

Alfredo Aceves - Gave up a couple well hit deep fly balls, but didn't allow any base runners in two innings. Didn't have his best stuff, but was able to work around it and showed poise.  

Amaury Sanit - Cuban right-hander got into the game in the 9th inning and retired the side in order. He has a nice overhead delivery and pitches to contact. Ended up with the win. He's an arm to watch during the spring.

Jason Hirsch - Faced two batters, striking out both. Looked strong and didn't seem to show any lingering effects from injuries. He's another intriguing arm to watch.

Jonathan Albaladejo - Gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits without recording an out in the seventh. I wouldn't be surprised if he pitches his way off the roster this spring.