Oh Mo! Yanks drop opener to Rays, 7-6

Oh Mo! Yanks drop opener to Rays, 7-6

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

A dejected Mo Rivera walks to the dugout after the closer gives up a one-run lead in the 9th inning.

TAMPA BAY 7, YANKEES 6

ST. PETERSBURG There might have been speculation coming in, but this not the way Mariano Rivera wants to go out.

After a spring training in which he sent out teasers over possible retirement, the closer coughed up a one-run lead in the ninth Friday, giving up a pair of runs to give the Rays a 7-6 win over the Yankees on Opening Day at Tropicana Field.

Its not how you draw it up, Joe Girardi said. You get y our closer in there with a lead in the ninth and you feel good about it, especially when its Mo. It does happen.

PHOTOS: RIVERA, YANKEES LOSE OPENING DAY GAME AGAINST RAYS, 7-6

Actually, it had only happened once against the Rays. Rivera had converted 60 of 61 save opportunities against Tampa Bay during his career, the lone blemish coming at the Trop on Aug. 16, 2005.

Weve seen it over 600 times, Girardi said. So when it doesnt happen, youre a little shocked.

MANAGERS SAVE NOTHING AND NEITHER DOES MO

Desmond Jennings singled to start the ninth, a 1-2 offering Rivera called a bad pitch. Ben Zobrist followed with a triple to right-center, tying the game in a flash.

The ball Zobrist hit was exactly where he wanted it, he just pulled his hands in nicely, catcher Russell Martin said. Sometimes you have to just tip your cap to opposing players.

The Yankees intentionally w alked Evan Longoria and Luke Scott, then sent Eduardo Nunez into the game for Nick Swisher, giving them five infielders as they tried to prolong the game.

GIRARDI'S PLAN IS NOT SO GRAND

Rivera struck out Sean Rodriguez but Carlos Pena, whose grand slam in the first inning against CC Sabathia got the Rays off to a solid start in his first game back with Tampa Bay, lifted a single over the head of Brett Gardner in center field to give the Rays the dramatic walk-off win.

Its a situation where you dont want to make mistakes, Rivera said. Its my fault.

The CC Sabathia-James Shields matchup didnt materialize into the battle of aces that many had predicted. Shields allowed six runs over five innings and Sabathia gave up five runs in six frames.

Sabathias struggles with his command early in the game werent stunning, as the big lefty battled those same problems though his past two spring starts. But Rivera, who had allowed one run over eight innings and looked like he was in midseason form since throwing his first pitch of the spring, was a different story.

I felt good, Rivera said. Im not going to make excuses for what happened. I just left the ball over the plate. I dont want to go like that, but again, those things are going to happen. It happened today. Hopefully it doesnt happen again.

Sabathia gave up four runs in the first after Girardi opted to intentionally walk Rodriguez to load the bases for Pena, who was 4-for-35 (.114) with two home runs and 19 strikeouts lifetime against Sabathia.

The move backfired as Pena drilled a 3-2 fastball into the right-field seats for a grand slam.

The Yankees chipped away at the lead with two runs in the second, then Raul Ibanez capped a four-run third, belting a three-run homer off Shields that gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead.

Im just going out and trying to keep us in the gam e, Sabathia said. We have a great offense. These guys bounced right back; I was just trying to keep the lead.

The Yankees left the bases loaded in the fourth and seventh, part of a frustrating 2-for-11 day with runners in scoring position that saw them leave 12 men on base.

Mark Teixeira nearly added to the lead in the eighth, but his sky-high fly ball down the right field line was ruled foul after it sailed over the foul pole. He walked in the at-bat, putting two men on base for Swisher, but Joel Peralta fanned him to keep the Rays deficit at one run.

We stranded too many guys on base, but we got a lot of guys on base, so you have to take some of the positive there, Teixeira said. We really battled. We scored six runs off a really good pitcher. I dont ever remember scoring that many runs off him.

Rafael Soriano and Dave Robertson got the ball to Rivera, but the all-time saves leader failed to record No. 604 as the Rays exp erienced a rare bit of success against the 42-year-old.

Its bad; you dont want to start a season this way, Rivera said. But at the same time, thank God its only one game. So well come back tomorrow and play another game.

There will be a tomorrow for Rivera a next season is another subject.

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Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

Carlos Pena's game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning gives Tampa Bay a 7-6 win.