Unleashing a 14-hit attack, the Yankees began the 1981 season with a 10-3 rout of the Rangers. A three-run homer by Bucky Dent in the second inning put the Bronx Bombers ahead to stay and they added two runs in the third on a double by Rick Cerone and five more in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Lou Piniella and bases-loaded pinch-homer by Bobby Murcer. The crowd of 55,123 was the largest for an opener at Yankee Stadium. [The Sporting News]



New York Yankees 10, Texas Rangers 3
Game Played on Thursday, April     9, 1981 (Day game) at Yankee Stadium I
Rangers      0  1  1    0  1  0    0  0  0  -   3  8  0
Yankees      0  3  2    0  0  0    5  0  x  -  10 14  1


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Yankees              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Wills 2b              5   1   1   0     0   1   .200      Randolph 2b           4   0   2   0     1   0   .500
Rivers cf             4   1   0   0     1   0   .000      Mumphrey cf           5   0   1   0     0   1   .200
Oliver dh             5   0   1   1     0   0   .200      Winfield lf           3   1   2   0     2   0   .667
Bell 3b               5   0   2   0     0   0   .400      Watson 1b             4   2   2   0     1   0   .500
Sample lf             2   1   0   1     0   0   .000      Piniella rf           4   2   2   1     1   0   .500
Grubb rf              3   0   1   0     1   0   .333      Cerone c              4   0   1   2     0   1   .250
Putnam 1b             4   0   2   0     0   1   .500      Nettles 3b            4   2   0   0     1   0   .000
Sundberg c            3   0   1   1     1   0   .333      Werth dh              2   1   0   0     1   1   .000
Mendoza ss            2   0   0   0     1   0   .000        Murcer ph,dh        1   1   1   4     0   0  1.000
  Ellis ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Dent ss               4   1   3   3     0   0   .750
  Wagner ss           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      John p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Matlack p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Underwood p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Comer p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Hough p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               34   3   8   3     4   2             Totals               35  10  14  10     7   3

Time of Game: 2:48   Attendance: 55,123
Left on Base: Rangers 10, Yankees 9
DP: Rangers 1, Yankees 0
Errors: Mumphrey
Doubles: Grubb (1), Piniella (1), Cerone (1)
Triples: Randolph (1)
Home Runs: Dent (1), Murcer (1)
Stolen Bases: Mumphrey (1)
Caught Stealing: Dent (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Cerone (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Sample (1)
Hit by Pitch: Sample (1,by John)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Matlack L(0-1)          5.2   8   5   5   4   2   1  28   7.94
Comer                   1     5   5   5   1   0   1   9  45.00
Hough                   1.1   1   0   0   2   1   0   6   0.00
Totals                  8    14  10  10   7   3   2  43

Yankees                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
John W(1-0)             8     7   3   2   4   2   0  36   2.25
Underwood               1     1   0   0   0   0   0   4   0.00
Totals                  9     8   3   2   4   2   0  40

Hit by Pitch: John (1)
Wild Pitches: John 2 (2)

Umpires: HP - Dave Phillips, 1B - Jerry Neudecker, 2B - Larry McCoy, 3B - Durwood Merrill


RANGERS 1ST: Wills struck out; Rivers grounded out (second to
first); Oliver grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Rangers 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 1ST: Randolph flied out to center; Mumphrey was called
out on strikes; Winfield walked; Watson forced Winfield
(shortstop to second); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Yankees
0.

RANGERS 2ND: Bell grounded out (third to first); Sample was hit
by a pitch; Grubb walked [Sample to second]; John threw a wild
pitch [Sample to third, Grubb to second]; Putnam struck out;
Sundberg singled to third [Sample scored, Grubb to third];
Mendoza flied out to right; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 1,
Yankees 0.

YANKEES 2ND: Piniella doubled to left; Cerone reached on a
fielder's choice [Piniella out at third (shortstop to third)];
Nettles forced Cerone (first to shortstop); Werth walked
[Nettles to second]; Dent homered [Nettles scored, Werth
scored]; Randolph grounded out (third to first); 3 R, 2 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Rangers 1, Yankees 3.

RANGERS 3RD: Wills singled to center [Wills to second (error by
Mumphrey)]; Rivers grounded out (second to first) [Wills to
third]; Oliver grounded out (shortstop to first) [Wills scored
(unearned)]; Bell grounded out (third to first); 1 R (0 ER), 1
H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 3RD: Mumphrey singled to shortstop; Winfield flied out
to center; Mumphrey stole second; Watson walked; Piniella forced
Mumphrey (center to third) [Watson to second]; Cerone doubled to
left [Watson scored, Piniella scored]; Nettles lined to center;
2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 2, Yankees 5.

RANGERS 4TH: Sample flied out to right; Grubb doubled to right;
Putnam flied out to left; John threw a wild pitch [Grubb to
third]; Sundberg walked; Mendoza walked [Sundberg to second];
Wills flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Rangers 2,
Yankees 5.

YANKEES 4TH: Werth struck out; Dent singled to left; Dent was
caught stealing second (catcher to second); Randolph walked;
Mumphrey forced Randolph (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Rangers 2, Yankees 5.

RANGERS 5TH: Rivers walked; Oliver flied out to center; Bell
singled to center [Rivers to third]; Sample hit a sacrifice fly
to center [Rivers scored]; Grubb flied out to center; 1 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 5.

YANKEES 5TH: Winfield singled to right; Watson forced Winfield
(second to shortstop); Dave Winfield dumped SS Mario Mendoza
with a hard slide; Piniella forced Watson (third to second);
Cerone grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Rangers 3, Yankees 5.

RANGERS 6TH: Putnam singled to first; Sundberg flied out to
right; Mendoza forced Putnam (shortstop to second); Wills flied
out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 5.

YANKEES 6TH: Nettles flied out to right; Werth flied out to
right; Dent singled to center; Randolph singled to left [Dent to
second]; COMER REPLACED MATLACK (PITCHING); Mumphrey flied out
to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 5.

RANGERS 7TH: Rivers grounded out (second to first); Oliver
popped to third in foul territory; Bell singled to right; Sample
flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 5.

YANKEES 7TH: Winfield singled to center; Watson singled to
center [Winfield to third]; Piniella singled to left [Winfield
scored, Watson to second]; Cerone out on a sacrifice bunt (third
to second) [Watson to third, Piniella to second]; Nettles was
walked intentionally; MURCER BATTED FOR WERTH; Murcer homered
[Watson scored, Piniella scored, Nettles scored]; Dent flied out
to right; Randolph tripled to right; HOUGH REPLACED COMER
(PITCHING); Mumphrey grounded out (second to first); 5 R, 5 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 10.

RANGERS 8TH: MURCER STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH); Grubb flied out
to right; Putnam singled to center; Sundberg forced Putnam
(third to second); ELLIS BATTED FOR MENDOZA; Ellis flied out to
right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 10.

YANKEES 8TH: WAGNER REPLACED ELLIS (PLAYING SS); Winfield
walked; Watson singled to third [Winfield to second]; Piniella
walked [Winfield to third, Watson to second]; Cerone struck out;
Nettles lined into a double play (first unassisted) [Piniella
out at first]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 10.

RANGERS 9TH: UNDERWOOD REPLACED JOHN (PITCHING); Wills flied out
to center; Rivers grounded out (second to first); Oliver singled
to left; Bell forced Oliver (second to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 3, Yankees 10.