Yanks see Oakland's 'A' game

A's take series opener 5-3.

By Josh Dubow ~ The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Mark Mulder and the Oakland Athletics came of age Wednesday night. The New York Yankees are revealing signs of aging.

Mulder, showing no nerves in his first postseason appearance, held New York to one run, and Terrence Long homered twice to lead Oakland to a 5-3 win over the World Series champions in the opener of their first-round AL series.

Jason Giambi also homered for the A's, who beat Roger Clemens in Game 1 of a best-of-five series for the second straight year. But after losing last year in five games, the A's know their work is not done.

Game 2 is Thursday with Andy Pettitte (15-10) pitching for New York against Tim Hudson (18-9).

There was tight security and an increased police presence at Yankee Stadium in response to last month's terrorist attacks. But nothing could keep the 56,697 fans away as New York began its run for a fourth World Series title.

This year could be toughest, as Oakland offers the stiffest first-round competition for the AL East champion Yankees during Joe Torre's six years as manager.

After nearly ending New York's run last season, the wild card A's used two elements that were missing a year ago: a healthy Mulder and Johnny Damon's speed.

Damon, a disappointment in his first year in Oakland, showed why the A's acquired him in the offseason from Kansas City. He went 4-for-4 with a walk, two steals and a run scored.

But the biggest difference was Mulder, who missed last year's playoffs with a bad back before bouncing back with 21 wins this season.

Mulder, 24, showed composure beyond his years, taking control early. The first two runners of the game reached for the Yankees -- on an error by second baseman Frank Menechino and a single by Derek Jeter.