INQUIRER Sports

NEW YORK?The New York Yankees used the strong pitching of CC Sabathia, some deft hitting and two gift runs to beat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-1, in the American League Championship Series opener on Friday.

Sabathia gave up just four hits in eight innings and closer Mariano Rivera sealed the victory that gave the Yankees a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Two of New York?s runs were unearned as the usually sure-handed Angels made three errors and let what should have been an inning-ending infield pop up drop for a run-scoring single on a cold, blustery night in the Bronx.

?I think the story of the night is really CC?s command of both sides of the plate and his ability to change speeds,? Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters. ?He really pitched a great ballgame for them.?

Yankees skipper Joe Girardi praised his big left-hander.

?Tremendous,? said Girardi. ?He was sensational.?

Sabathia, serenaded by chants of ?CC, CC,? from the crowd of nearly 50,000, struck out seven and walked one.

Rocking stadium

?That was a great feeling to have the stadium rocking and chanting my name and to be able to get a strikeout,? he said about striking out Mike Napoli to end a seventh-inning threat.

The second game of the ALCS is on Saturday with AJ Burnett scheduled to start for New York against the Angels? Joe Saunders, though a forecast of rain threatens to postpone the game.

Earlier, the Los Angeles Dodgers leveled their series for the National League pennant at 1-1 by beating the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1.

The Yankees had 10 hits in the game, including two each from Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui against Angels starter John Lackey.

They took the lead in the first inning when Jeter led off with a single to right and advanced to third base on Damon?s bloop single to left. Damon moved to second base on left-fielder Juan Rivera?s wild throw into the infield.

Alex Rodriguez brought Jeter home with a sacrifice fly, and Damon came around to score a gift run on Matsui?s infield pop.

The pop-up fell untouched for a single between third baseman Chone Figgins and shortstop Erick Aybar, who each thought the other would make the simple catch.

?One of us has to catch it,? Figgins said. ?It?s that simple.?

Los Angeles cut the lead in the fourth when Vladimir Guerrero crushed a long double towards left-center and then scored on a single by Kendry Morales.

New York reclaimed a two-run lead in the fifth inning when Damon hit a double to left center and then was brought in by Matsui, who stroked the ball to the same part of the field. Reuters