TAMPA, Fla. -- Joe Torre didn't have any doubts about naming Randy Johnson as his Opening Day starter, but the Big Unit's dominant performance against the Braves on Thursday served as the perfect backdrop for the official announcement.

"I know, it's a big upset," joked the manager. "I don't think anybody else expected anything different."

Johnson tossed six shutout innings against Atlanta at Legends Field in New York's 12-2 win, allowing just one hit -- a sixth-inning double by Adam LaRoche. He retired 17 of the 19 batters he faced, striking out eight.

"That was essentially their Opening Day lineup, so that was good to get the results I wanted to get," Johnson said. "A lot of things got accomplished today. Overall, I feel pretty good."

"I didn't need to see that to know he's capable of it," Torre said. "The reason he's here is because he's so dominant. He's been doing it for years, but it's nice to see him do it in our uniform."

While Torre anointed the Big Unit as his starter for the April 3 season opener against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, he wasn't prepared to release his rotation beyond that night. Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Kevin Brown will follow Johnson in some order, though one of them could be skipped in the first go-around to make up for the two off-days the club has in the opening week.

The Yankees have three days off in the first 10 days of the season, making it difficult for Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre to line up their starters on regular rest.

"We have an idea what we want to do, but we haven't really [decided]. Because of the three off-days, it's tough with the five starters," Torre said. "Somebody is going to have to get an extra day here or there, so we're trying to figure out how to do that and yet use the five starters."

Should they decide to keep Johnson on his normal five-day schedule, he would pitch on April 3 against Boston, April 8 against Baltimore and then against Boston on April 13, though that start would come at Fenway Park. That would leave just five other games to fill with four starters over a six-day stretch from April 5-11.

One option would be to skip one of the starters entirely in the first turn in the rotation, though the decision will be based largely on what is best for the most pitchers.

"[Johnson] is obviously very important to us, but you can't do this thing with just a few starters," Torre said. "You've got to do it with five over the course of the year, so you don't want to ignore anybody."

Johnson, who has been accustomed to working on his normal five-day schedule for years, said he will do whatever Torre and Stottlemyre want him to do.

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"Everywhere I've been, whether it's Seattle, Houston or Arizona, they were very adamant about trying to get me out there," Johnson said. "That said, they also didn't have a starting rotation that was as strong as the rotation here. I understand that the No. 4 and 5 guys here have to pitch, too. You go along with it and make adjustments."

Johnson didn't have to make many adjustments on Thursday, as he dominated Atlanta's lineup from the first pitch. He retired the first 10 batters he faced, striking out four of them. A one-out walk to Marcus Giles in the fourth gave the Braves their first baserunner, but Johnson erased him with a nice pickoff move, as Giles was caught heading for second.

Johnson went back to work in the fifth, retiring the side in order, including strikeouts of Johnny Estrada and Brian Jordan, his fifth and sixth of the game. Through five innings, Johnson did not allow a hit, facing the minimum 15 batters.

"He was dealing today," said Gary Sheffield. "He was nasty."

Julio Franco flew out to open the sixth, but Johnson lost his no-hitter when Adam LaRoche doubled to left-center. The Big Unit responded by striking out Ryan Langerhans and Rafael Furcal, as he walked off the mound to a huge ovation from the sold-out crowd at Legends Field. He exited the game after 71 pitches, then moved to the bullpen to complete his day, throwing 17 more.

"He's been working on things in different starts, and when you're around that long, you can afford that luxury," Torre said. "Then when you get close, you see what you saw today. He basically pitched today like he's going to pitch."

Johnson's next start will come at the team's minor league complex next Tuesday, since the Yankees don't want to start him against Boston just five days before the season opener.

"I thought I got out of today what I needed to get out of it," Johnson said. "Five days from now, I need to do the same thing. Then, if I have the same results, I'll feel comfortable and prepared to do what I do."

Torre didn't consult his other starters before handing the Opening Day start to Johnson, but Johnson asked Stottlemyre if the move was the right one since this was his first year in pinstripes.

"He didn't come in here assuming he was going to pitch Opening Day," Torre said. "He didn't question Mel, but he asked the question about other people, Moose in particular."

The Opening Day assignment will be the 13th of his career, tying Roger Clemens for the most among active pitchers. The Major League record for Opening Day starts is 16 by Tom Seaver. The last time Johnson did not start the season opener for his team was 1997 with Seattle, when Jeff Fassero led the Mariners past the Yankees at the Kingdome.

"I realize that it's an honor, but I do try to downplay it," Johnson said. "The significance is that it's the first game of the season, but when the other four starting pitchers pitch their first game, it will be Opening Day for them. When everybody does start, then it's like putting shuffle on your CD player. Everybody is out there, and a 1 can go up against a 5."