Martinez, Tribe Rout Yankees In Game 1

CLEVELAND —Rocked right off the bat, the Cleveland Indians quickly found their October swing.

C.C. Sabathia settled down after giving up a debated homer on his fifth pitch and the Indians returned to the postseason after a six-year disappearance by thumping the Yankees 12-3 in their AL playoff opener.

Alex Rodriguez, you ask? Well, A-Rod never got a chance to repair his tarnished postseason image. Sabathia and three Cleveland relievers simply took the All-Star third baseman's powerful bat out of his hands.

The Indians' inexperience at this time of year was never a factor.

Cleveland's kids were all right.

Playoff newcomer Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer, rookie Asdrubal Cabrera had a solo shot off Chien-Ming Wang and Travis Hafner and Ryan Garko homered as the Indians went toe-to-toe with the Bronx Bombers and knocked them flat.

Kenny Lofton, one of the few Cleveland players who knows his way around baseball's consummate month, had four RBIs and Casey Blake added two as the Indians, energized by a towel-waving crowd that became accustomed to playoff baseball in the 1990s, roared with every run, every hit and every Yankee out.

A few of them even turned on Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, a devoted New York fan who boldly came to Jacobs Field wearing a Yankees cap. Early on, fans sitting near James behind home plate chanted "Take off the cap," in his direction, and by the sixth inning, he had done just that.

When Hafner's homer off Ross Ohlendorf gave the Indians a 10-3 lead, James turned to his entourage and ordered an exit.

The Yankees, 6-0 against the Indians during the regular season, went nearly as fast. Down 4-3 in the fifth, they only got a meaningless two-out single in the ninth after Cleveland broke away.

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ROCKIES 10, PHILLIES 5 Done chasing that wild-card spot, Kaz Matsui and the relentless Colorado Rockies are playing like champs.

Matsui hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, leading the Rockies over the Philadelphia Phillies 10–5 yesterday for a 2–0 lead in their NL playoff series.

A day after taking a pitchers' duel, Colorado outslugged the Phils and got a big effort from its bullpen. With 16 victories in 17 games, the Rockies are winning every which way.

"We believe we're going to win every game," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've been playing in the loser's bracket for a month."

Matsui connected off Kyle Lohse, rushed in to relieve struggling rookie Kyle Kendrick in the fourth inning.

Lohse was the Phillies' scheduled Game 4 starter. At this rate, the best-of-five series may not get that far.