NewYork.Yankees.MLB.com

Hideki Matsui rounds first base on his first-inning double in the season opener. (Koji Sasahara /AP)

Toby Hall led the way for the Devil Rays, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Jose Cruz Jr. and Tino Martinez added home runs, as Tampa Bay won its fifth consecutive season opener.

"They played better than we did and they pitched better than we did," said manager Joe Torre. "We had a lead a couple of times, we just couldn't hold it."

"It's Opening Day, it's one game. You can't tell everything about a team after one day," said Derek Jeter. "Over the course of 162 games, you go through good times, you go through bad times, and the longer you play together, the more you find out about your team."

Mike Mussina was hit hard, giving up five runs over five-plus innings, as he lost in his first Opening Day assignment in his four-year tenure with the Yankees.

Mike Mussina   /   P
	Height: 6'2" Weight: 185 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Yankees site

"The first couple of innings were OK, but after that, it was more difficult to find that pitch," Mussina said. "You want to have something you feel really good about, whether it's a breaking pitch or a fastball, and I just didn't feel like I could find anything. I just couldn't get it going and keep it going."

Hideki Matsui received a huge ovation during pregame introductions, as well as every time he came to the plate. Matsui, who played in the Tokyo Dome for 10 years as a member of the Yomiuri Giants, went 1-for-4 in the opener.

"It was a great environment to play in," Matsui said through an interpreter. "It's too bad that we lost, but for me, it was a good day."

Alex Rodriguez's debut as a Yankee was fairly uneventful, as the reigning AL MVP went 1-for-4 with a double after striking out in his first two at-bats. He did make two nice plays at third base, nearly pulling out a spectacular play on another.

"I had some nervous energy out there," A-Rod said. "Obviously, the first two at-bats it didn't work out too good, but I came back with the double. The way you look at it is that you want to get that first one out of the way."

"When you get traded to a new club, you want to get on the right track early," Torre said. "Defensively, I thought he was terrific."

New York wasted no time in showcasing its lineup, as Matsui got things going with a one-out double, setting off a roar from his hometown fans. After Rodriguez struck out, Jason Giambi gave the Yankees the first lead of the baseball season, blasting an opposite field home run to left, putting New York ahead, 2-0.

Giambi's home run was the 86th in Opening Day history by a Yankee, the first since Derek Jeter went deep in the opener two years ago. Giambi, who has now hit three Opening Day homers in his career, is the 54th pinstriper to accomplish the feat.

Jason Giambi   /   1B
	Height: 6'3" Weight: 235 Bats/Throws: L/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Hit chart Yankees site

"I'll take it," Giambi said. "But I would have traded it in for a win."

Mussina looked sharp early, setting down the Devil Rays in order in the first inning. He allowed a pair of singles in the second and a leadoff hit in the third, but the right-hander managed to escape both innings unscathed.

He wasn't so lucky in the fourth, when he issued a pair of one-out walks that would come back to haunt him. After giving free passes to both Cruz Jr. and Martinez, Mussina got Julio Lugo to ground out to third, advancing both runners into scoring position. Toby Hall followed with a two-run single, tying the game, 2-2.

"I got behind on Cruz and didn't come in. I threw some good pitches to Tino and didn't get the calls," Mussina said. "You put two guys on like that, they're going to get you."

After giving up the early home run, Rays starter Victor Zambrano settled in nicely, retiring 12 of 14 batters from the second through the fifth innings.

Rodriguez led off the sixth with a double to right field -- his first hit as a Yankee -- and scored two batters later on Gary Sheffield's checked-swing, bloop RBI double to right. Sheffield went 2-for-2 with two walks in his first game as a Yankee.

Zambrano (1-0) went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four.