On an emotional Opening Day, the Yankees honored Cory Lidle, welcomed back Bobby Murcer and beat Tampa Bay for a satisfying start.

Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez came through with big hits and the Yankees even got a few encouraging innings from Carl Pavano in a 9-5 victory yesterday over the baby-faced Devil Rays.

Giambi, who hit a go-ahead single in the seventh for his third RBI, was a big part of the poignant pregame ceremonies. After a touching video tribute to Lidle, Giambi escorted the pitcher’s wife, Melanie, and 6-year-old son, Christopher, toward the mound before they threw out first pitches.

“Everybody had a lump in their throat before the game,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “You couldn’t help but choke up.”

With owner George Steinbrenner watching from his luxury suite behind home plate, the oft-injured Pavano pitched his first major league game since June 2005. Derek Jeter hit a tying, two-run single and Rodriguez homered after making an early error to help the Yankees win their 10th straight home opener.

Elijah Dukes homered off Pavano in his first big league at-bat, and fellow Tampa Bay prospect B.J. Upton had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. The Devil Rays, who fielded the youngest opening-day lineup since the 1983 Minnesota Twins, led 5–3 before Scott Kazmir and his bullpen faltered.

“I was just worrying about not being too amped-up,” Kazmir said. “You know, just overthrowing and stuff like that and I kind of fell into kind of being not as aggressive as I would like to be.”

Luis Vizcaino (1–0) worked a perfect seventh for the victory in his Yankees debut. Kyle Farnsworth tossed a scoreless eighth, and Mariano Rivera struck out all three batters in the ninth.

Posada also homered for the Yankees, who have won 15 of their past 16 home openers and 21 of the last 24. Center fielder Johnny Damon left in the sixth with cramps in both calves.

Despite some sloppy defense behind him, Pavano carried a 3-1 lead into the fifth before running into trouble. Carl Crawford’s RBI single tied it and Rocco Baldelli chased Pavano with a run-scoring single that gave Tampa Bay the lead.

“I’m pleased to an extent,” said Pavano, a free-agent bust since signing a $39.95 million, four-year contract with the Yankees before the 2005 season. “You just want to get out there and compete.”