Jones almost pitched in Yanks' 19-inning marathon

NEW YORK -- The Yankees used seven relievers during Friday's epic 19-inning battle against the Red Sox, which they lost, 6-5. Had the contest pushed any further into the wee hours of the morning, the next man on the mound would have been Garrett Jones.

The first baseman and outfielder said that he has not pitched since 1999, when he was in his senior year at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Ill. But with Esmil Rogers out of gas, Jones was getting ready to face David Ortiz in the top of the 19th inning.

"I was definitely really pumped to be out there," Jones said. "As a position player, it's always a thought in the back of your mind, 'I'd love to pitch.' Everyone thinks he can pitch. It would have been fun to just get out there and do it. But, at the same time, I wanted to get him out, as well. I would have been having fun, but I would have been competing."

Jones' services were not required because Rogers got Dustin Pedroia to line out to right field on his 81st and final pitch of the night. Manager Joe Girardi said that Pedroia would have been Rogers' last hitter, and Jones was preparing by tossing off the mound in the Yankees' indoor batting cage.

"I was trying to think back to some of the things I remembered," Jones said. "I was just going to go in there and try to throw strikes, not try to be too fancy. Hopefully throw strikes and get him out; throw under the hit speed."

Jones made his Yankees debut as a pinch-runner for Alex Rodriguez in the 11th inning of Friday's game, and that was an unlikely enough occurrence for the slugger. He would have become the Yanks' first position player to pitch since infielder Dean Anna, who did it last April 19 in a 16-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Asked to provide a scouting report for himself as a pitcher, Jones laughed and replied, "Straight fastball and a dirty changeup."

"I might have mixed in a curve to Big Papi," Jones said. "I probably would have tried to mess with his timing; bigger leg kicks or a slide step to screw him up, because I know my pitches weren't going to fool him."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Bullpen a bright spot in Yankees loss

NEW YORK -- There may not be much of a reward for Chasen Shreve's 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Red Sox, but the Yankees are appreciative of the work that all seven of their relievers turned in during the 19-inning affair.

New York's bullpen pitched scorelessly in relief of starter Nathan Eovaldi until the 16th inning, when David Ortiz homered off Esmil Rogers, the long reliever called in to soak up the final 4 2/3 innings of the contest.

"Our bullpen did a great job," manager Joe Girardi said. "That's a long game and it's a lot of innings. I thought they did a really good job."

In all, Yankees relievers hurled 13 2/3 innings, permitting 10 hits while walking seven and striking out 14. It was the longest outing of Shreve's career, surpassing a five-out performance last July 25 for the Braves against the Padres.

"He was really good," Girardi said. "He gave us a great opportunity to win this game, and a lot of our relievers did. We had our opportunities. It's really unfortunate to come up on this end, but it's one game that seemed like about six. We'll move on."

"You can't say enough about the job a guy like Chasen Shreve did and Esmil coming in," Brett Gardner said. "We just weren't able to get it done offensively."

Earlier this spring, Adam Warren recalled how he had pitched six scoreless innings of relief in an 18-inning game at Oakland in 2013, and his reward was a demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre so the Yankees could summon a fresh arm from the Minors.

That could be the case for Shreve, who threw a career-high 56 pitches during Friday's outing. Girardi said that he would discuss that issue following Friday's game; one option to be recalled is right-hander Chase Whitley, who pitched well this spring and was scheduled to begin the season at Triple-A.

Girardi said that Rogers, who threw 81 pitches, would have come out of the game had he not retired Dustin Pedroia to end the 19th inning. In that case, Girardi said that his plan was to send Garrett Jones to the mound.

"That was the only place we could go," Girardi said.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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First things first: A-Rod makes debut at 1B

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez spent a good portion of his spring taking ground balls at first base, and the Yankees gave him the opportunity to take his glove out to the field on Saturday against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez made his first career appearance as a first baseman, with the Yankees giving Mark Teixeira the afternoon off following Friday's 19-inning, 6-5 loss to Boston. Rodriguez saw time at the position in Grapefruit League games and played well, in manager Joe Girardi's eyes.

"I said all along, he's an athlete. He can field, he can throw," Girardi said. "Your concerns become the little decisions that you have to make at first: 'Do I go after that ball or do I let the second baseman get it? Where am I on the cutoffs?' Those things, that's what you worry about the most. The everyday things of playing first base, I have no concerns."

Rodriguez started his big league career in 1994 as a shortstop, earning an American League Most Valuable Player Award, seven AL All-Star selections and two AL Gold Gloves at the position while with the Mariners and Rangers.

He shifted to third base after being acquired by the Yankees in 2004 and served as a designated hitter in his first four games of this season. Rodriguez said this spring that he enjoyed being able to see the game from a different lens after two decades in the big leagues, and that he is on board with whatever Girardi asks from him.

"My original thought was maybe I was going to give him the day off [Saturday], but because of what happened, the length of the game last night and what other guys went through, I changed gears a little bit," Girardi said. "You think about the guys that were on their feet the least and you try to get them in there. I know it's not easy at 39 1/2 [years old], but it's just something we've got to deal with right now."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Sabathia shows promising signs after lengthy layoff

NEW YORK -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi was surprised when he realized just how few starts left-hander CC Sabathia made in 2014.

The veteran lefty scuffled through eight starts and was placed on the disabled list shortly after his outing on May 10 at Milwaukee. It would turn out to be his final outing of the year; the Yankees learned in July that Sabathia would need season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery.

Sabathia returned to the mound in a Major League game for the first time in 11 months Thursday, and surrendered five runs (four earned) on eight hits in the Yankees' 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays. Toronto tagged Sabathia for four runs in the second inning with some well-placed hits, but he settled down to complete 5 2/3 innings.

"I'm not taking anything away from the Blue Jays," Girardi said. "But I thought he threw the ball a lot better than what it looks like."

Toronto loaded the bases in the second on three singles, including one that bounced off Sabathia's glove. Kevin Pillar took advantage with an RBI single to left field, followed by a pair of run-scoring groundouts. Jose Reyes capped off the four-run inning with a run-scoring single into left field.

Sabathia began to settle in after that inning, striking out six of seven Blue Jays through one stretch. He finished with eight strikeouts and did not issue a walk. He cruised along until a broken-bat single in the fifth by Danny Valencia gave Toronto its fifth run, aided by an error from Carlos Beltran.

"Yeah, I mean, a bad inning got away from us," Sabathia said. "I wish I could have stopped the bleeding right there. I had the double-play ball. I just put my glove on it. It was one of those things where we couldn't stop the bleeding in the second inning."

This outing was encouraging for Sabathia and for the Yankees, who are counting on him to return as a force near the top of their rotation. He looked much better Thursday than he did during Spring Training, where he was knocked around for 14 hits -- including three home runs -- through 10 innings.

"It's something to build on," Sabathia said. "No walks. Not a lot of good contact. I think I threw the ball pretty good, it was just bad luck."

Jamal Collier is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jamalcollier. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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With first homer, A-Rod makes presence felt

Sabathia's less-than-adequate pitching wasn't much of an angle at that point. And that he had righted himself and worked effectively into the sixth was tantamount only to locking the cell door after the jailbreak. Then bang, Alex Rodriguez swung at a high fastball from Toronto starter Daniel Norris and an angle appeared as the baseball disappeared into the stands beyond left field. Gentlemen, fire up your laptops.

It was a shot, no back-of-the-wall scraper, that took A-Rod back to Seattle and Texas before it touched down in the same borough where it had been launched. Nothing like the supercharged bolt Edwin Encarnacion put off the top of the wall beyond the visitors' bullpen in left-center in the eighth -- that one was Mantle-esque. But Rodriguez's poke was, as they say, prodigious.

For the 655th time in his career Rodriguez had struck a blow good for four total bases and a warm reception -- a different sort of Bronx cheer. His first home run since Sept. 20, 2013, pleased him and made him a tad nostalgic.

"It's been a long time," Rodriguez said.

Later, A-Rod found humor in his time away from home run hitting: "I felt I needed a Google map to run the bases."

Rodriguez's home run moved his career total to within five of Willie Mays', but it pushed the Yanks only to within three runs of the Blue Jays. Yet it was received as if it had come in late September in a game of greater consequence and eliminated a deficit ... or as if the Captain or Bernie or Donnie had returned and done the deed. But this was Alex Rodriguez, No. 13, punctuating his return and bringing thousands to their feet.

The cheering Rodriguez prompted was passionate. But then the Yankees, as currently constituted, don't appear to be a group that elicits great passion otherwise. Who besides A-Rod can stir the masses? If and when he is again a target of jeers, they probably will be equally passionate. New York demands a focal point for its passion, a hero or the antithesis.

* * * * *

So yes, the game that came to be identified as "Blue Jays 6, Yankees 3" became newsworthy after all. And not only because the designated hitter who batted second in Joe Girardi's revamped batting order had struck a mighty blow. Or because Mark Teixeira followed Rodriguez's home run with a mightier one.

By evening's end, the Yankees' display of power -- albeit bases-empty power -- and Sabathia's last four innings were identified as positives by the manager. And if Didi Gregorius was guilty of another baserunning misstep -- too wide a turn at first base after a single that drove home the Yanks' run in the fifth -- well, he's learning by his mistakes.

Sabathia's 180 was encouraging. He walked none and struck out eight. And some of the eight hits allowed were ground balls through holes. Girardi emphasized that several times and omitted the seed Josh Donaldson pulled to left.

"One big inning," the manager said. "Well-placed balls. If [Sabathia] is going to be hit that hard every time out, I'll take it."

But this Yankees team is severely challenged by a four-run deficit, even one that's in place with eight turns at bat remaining. And yes, A-Rod crushed a 92-mph fastball. But he couldn't catch up with a 94 and a 96 in the seventh when he struck out.

So yes, there is a story here. Of course, there is. But no angle can develop in three games. Can it?

Marty Noble is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yankees scuffling with men on base so far

NEW YORK -- In a microcosm of the sputtering offense that the Yankees have displayed over their first three games, Didi Gregorius smashed a fifth-inning RBI single up the middle Thursday, then slipped coming around first base and was promptly tagged out.

"I just want to be aggressive on the bases," Gregorius said. "I slipped on that one, and I can't take it back. It happened and just go forward from there."

Gregorius seemed to recognize the urgency in sparking the Yanks, for whom runs have been in short supply through 27 innings. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays, wasting a fourth-inning rally in which they had men on second and third with none out.

Alex Rodriguez walked and Carlos Beltran doubled to left field, opening the inning against Toronto rookie left-hander Daniel Norris. Mark Teixeira lined out hard to third baseman Josh Donaldson, Chase Headley struck out looking and Chris Young popped out to squelch the threat.

"That's the difference in the game. That's the bottom line," manager Joe Girardi said. "You look at the ball Tex hit, you can't hit a ball any harder than that. It's frustrating, but it happens. To win games, you have to hit with runners on."

If not for a fluky three-run late rally on Wednesday, aided by Young's wind-blown double, two hit-by-pitches and a Headley run-scoring grounder that clanged off of a Toronto glove, the Yanks might have absorbed a series sweep.

Those are thoughts they preferred not to entertain going into this weekend's showdown with the Red Sox.

"It's three games. Today, I was more encouraged," Rodriguez said. "We hit some of the hardest balls; some were outs. Tex hit a rocket that easily could have been a couple RBIs. [Jacoby] Ellsbury had some great at-bats, Didi hit the ball well. Sometimes a run with this type of weather can count for two or three."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yankees encouraged by Pineda's performance

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have only been able to imagine what kind of production they will receive with a full season from right-hander Michael Pineda. New York acquired him from Seattle during the 2011-12 offseason, but Pineda made just his 14th start as a member of the Yankees on Wednesday due to a plethora of injuries.

Pineda entered the 2015 season feeling healthier than he has in a while, and he could wind up being the Yankees' best starting pitcher. Although he did not factor in the decision during New York's 4-3 victory against the Blue Jays, he turned in a solid outing once again -- surrendering two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in six innings.

Pineda has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 14 starts with the Yankees. A cold and rainy night at Yankee Stadium did not do him any favors, but Pineda battled through the weather. His only issue this outing was the fact that he said the mound got a little sloppy as the game went on and the rain continued.

"It's hard, but you have to make adjustments on the mound and play the game," Pineda said.

He cruised through the first two innings before running into some trouble in the third. Kevin Pillar led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to third on a double to right field by the next batter, Justin Smoak. Another infield hit, this time off the bat of Devon Travis, gave the Blue Jays the first run of the night and left runners on first and second. Pineda retired the next three batters, forcing Jose Reyes to fly out to right field, then striking out Russell Martin and Jose Bautista.

"He did a great job, and Michael has that ability because he has the ability to strike people out," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It comes down to being the difference in the game."

Pineda is showing that, when healthy, he could be ready to become the Yankees' ace. Masahiro Tanaka, who partially tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in July, struggled in his first outing this year, and CC Sabathia, who will start Thursday, is coming off knee surgery. That leaves Pineda, whom Girardi said is a much different person now than he was during his first spring as a Yankee, when he tore the anterior labrum in his right shoulder, which sidelined him for all of the 2012 season.

"I think when you go through some of the things that he went through, you're going to mature," Girardi said. "He had a pretty serious injury, he bounced back and I think he grew up a lot through that. I think during that time, too, his mechanics improved dramatically, which has really helped him."

Jamal Collier is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jamalcollier. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yankees successfully deploy Betances, Miller

NEW YORK -- The assignments had been outlined long before the bullpen gate swung open on Wednesday, so it represented no surprise to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller when they were deployed in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, of Wednesday's 4-3 Yankees victory over the Blue Jays.

With the Yankees declining to name a set closer to open the season, Betances said that he was told to be ready to handle the heart of Toronto's order, whenever it should come up. With Betances working the eighth, Miller drew the ninth inning and recorded the save in his Yankees debut.

"They want us to be flexible," Miller said. "It's my job to be flexible because they asked for that, and I think that makes perfect sense. I'm perfectly satisfied with the way that they've prepared us. It's our job to get outs when called upon. That's all we know."

Betances threw 32 pitches in the eighth, an inning that featured two walks and a Brian McCann throwing error that allowed Jose Bautista to trot home with Toronto's third run. The Yanks scored three times to take the lead in the home half of the inning, assisted by Chris Young's bloop double and two hit-by-pitches.

Yanks score three in the 8th

TOR@NYY: Yanks take lead with three runs in the 8th

4/8/15: The Yankees use a wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch and an infield single to take the lead over the Blue Jays in the 8th inning

"I told the guys, this is where you need to be prepared to come in," manager Joe Girardi said. "It was 2-1 [going to the eighth] and I wanted to kind of hold it there to give us an opportunity, and Miller was really good tonight."

Though Betances was unable to pitch a clean inning, a continuation of some of his troubles from the spring, it was not due to a lack of preparation. He said that bullpen coach Gary Tuck told him to be ready for Bautista's spot in the order, so Betances was planning for that.

"It was tough. The conditions weren't the best, but I've got to be more consistent no matter what," Betances said. "The good thing is that we got the win. Awesome job by [Chris] Martin and Andrew Miller to close the game."

Miller retired the Blue Jays in order, striking out one, and he said that it did not feel much different working the ninth inning. It marked Miller's second career save; the other one came in an extra-inning game for the Orioles at Tampa Bay last Sept. 7.

"We had a pretty good idea what parts of the lineup we had tonight," Miller said. "It just so worked out Dellin had thrown the eighth and then we started to get a rally, so I knew it was going to be me. I'm just thankful we got those runs and glad I was able to go out and preserve them."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Sabathia takes on Jays in return to the hill

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NOTIFICATION:  Each potential winner will be notified at the e-mail address, postal address and/or telephone number (in the sole discretion of Sponsor) provided at the time of entry (the "Prize Notification"). In the event that any potential winner does not respond to any such Prize Notification within three (3) days of the date of issuance or declines the Prize for any reason, a disqualification will result, the Prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner may be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries. Each potential winner may be required to submit his/her valid social security number and/or other identification to Sponsor and may be required to execute, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and, unless prohibited by law, Publicity, within five (5) days of date of issuance. Failure to submit any identification required by Sponsor or to return the required documents within the specified time period, noncompliance with these Official Rules or the return of the Prize (or any portion thereof) or Prize Notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and Prize forfeiture and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, may cause an alternate potential winner to be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries.

WAIVER OF LIABILITY/PUBLICITY RELEASE:  By participating in the Promotion and submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to (i) be bound by these Official Rules, including all entry requirements, and (ii) waive any and all claims against Sponsor, the other MLB Entities, Facebook, Apple, Inc. and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees, agents, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, representatives and advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Promotion, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, "Released Parties") for any injury, damage or loss that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from the participation in the Promotion or from the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof) or any travel or activity related to the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof). By entering this Promotion, each entrant gives his/her express permission to be contacted by Sponsor by telephone, e-mail and/or postal mail for Promotion purposes. Each Winner, by acceptance of the Prize, grants to Sponsor and each of its designees the right to publicize such Winner's name, address (city and state of residence), photograph, voice, statements and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, promotional, trade and/or any other purpose in any media or format now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, in perpetuity, without limitation and without further compensation, consideration, permission or notification, unless prohibited by law.

GENERAL CONDITIONS:  All decisions of Sponsor, including the determination of winners, are final and binding on all matters relating to this Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for stolen, late, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, misdirected, lost, misrouted, scrambled, damaged, delayed, undelivered, mutilated or garbled entries, transmissions, e-mail or mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, cable, satellite, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), wireless network, website, or other connections including those through and/or by any website, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cable or wireless transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in transmission, processing, or communication; non-delivery; misdirected, blocked, or delayed e-mail notifications; printing, typographical or other errors appearing within these Official Rules, in any Promotion-related advertisements or other materials; or any other errors, problems or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, network, computer, telephone, mail, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Promotion, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Promotion, the processing of entries, the announcement of the Prize or in any Promotion-related materials, or the cancellation or postponement of any Major League Baseball game, event or exhibition. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to participants' or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Promotion or downloading materials from or use of the website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Promotion or website or attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion by cheating, deception or other unfair playing practices, or intend to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or any representative of Sponsor or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. Any attempt to deliberately damage the content or operation of this Promotion is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsor and/or its agents. Sponsor shall have the sole right to disqualify any entrant for violation of these Official Rules or any applicable laws relating to the Promotion, and to resolve all disputes in its sole discretion. Released Parties (i) make no warranty, guaranty or representation of any kind concerning any Prize (or any portion thereof), and (ii) disclaim any implied warranty. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Promotion (or any portion thereof) should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes corrupt administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper operation of the Promotion (or any portion thereof). In the event of such cancellation, Sponsor may elect to identify the Winners and award the Prizes by way of random drawing from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to the time of such cancellation. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Promotion.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER OR NOT AN ENTRANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROMOTION OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUCH ENTRANT, AND SPONSOR AND/OR ITS AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be declared made by the "Authorized Account Holder" of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person to whom the applicable Internet service provider or other organization (such as a business or educational institution) has assigned the e-mail address for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

As a condition of participating in this Promotion, each entrant agrees that (A) any and all disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Promotion, or any prizes awarded (each, a "Claim"), shall be (1) arbitrated on an individual basis only, and shall not be consolidated or joined with or in any arbitration or other proceeding involving a Claim of any other party, and (2) settled by binding arbitration in New York County, New York before a single arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its then governing rules and procedures, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof; and (B) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. These Official Rules shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A, applicable to contracts entered into and performed exclusively in that State.

Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of, or responsible for conducting, the Promotion. All entry data provided in connection with this Promotion is provided to Sponsor and not to Facebook. This Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

WINNERS' LIST:  For a list of winners (available after December 1, 2012) mail a request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to be received by January 15, 2012 to: MLB.com Bingo Winner's List c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011, Attn: Sweepstakes Department.

SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Promotion is MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.

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Yankees' bullpen steps up in relief of Tanaka

NEW YORK -- The Yankees did not plan on having the bullpen phone ring so early on Opening Day, but if there was any silver lining in Masahiro Tanaka's brief outing, at least they were able to get some Yankee Stadium debuts out of the way.

After Tanaka departed the Yanks' eventual 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays, relievers Chris Martin, Chasen Shreve and David Carpenter combined to retire 12 of the 13 batters from the fifth through the eighth innings.

"I thought they had a pretty good day," manager Joe Girardi said. "I thought to get all those guys in there, and some new guys who haven't pitched in Yankee Stadium, I thought they fared pretty well."

Rogers escapes jam

TOR@NYY: Rogers strikes out Bautista to escape jam

4/6/15: Esmil Rogers strikes out Jose Bautista to end the 9th inning, leaving the bases loaded in his season debut

Martin struck out all three men he faced in the fifth, becoming just the second Yankee since 1914 to strike out every batter he faced in his team debut. The other pitcher was Edwar Ramirez, who accomplished the feat on July 3, 2007, against the Twins.

Shreve's only blemish was serving up Devon Travis' first Major League homer in the seventh inning, which also marked the rookie's first hit in the bigs. Carpenter pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Justin Wilson struggled in the ninth, walking three before yielding to long reliever Esmil Rogers, who recorded a big strikeout of Jose Bautista with the bases loaded.

Yankees pitchers tied their franchise Opening Day record with 12 strikeouts, equaling a mark set on April 6, 2012, against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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