Yankees slammed in debut

NEW YORK | Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other stars from the New York Yankees’ famous pinstriped past would have been embarrassed.

After an 85-year run in a stadium that was home to 26 World Series champions, the Yankees opened baseball’s fanciest and priciest ballpark Thursday with a humiliating 10-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

“It felt like we disappointed quite a few people today,” Johnny Damon said.

Fans in the sellout crowd of 48,271 and players bubbled about unprecedented amenities on a picture-perfect sunny afternoon. Then New York’s hitters fizzled and its bullpen came apart in the formal debut of the new Yankee Stadium, a $1.5 billion monument to the Yankees’ wealth and power.

Jhonny Peralta broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a two-run double off Jose Veras, and Grady Sizemore hit a grand slam into the right-field seats off Damaso Marte.

By the time Victor Martinez’s solo homer capped the nine-run inning, angry spectators who paid up to $2,625 a ticket taunted the Yankees with chants of “We want Swisher!” That was a reference to New York right fielder Nick Swisher, who pitched a scoreless inning during a blowout loss at Tampa Bay on Monday.

“It’s not how you want to start a new stadium, but one game is not going to make the history of this Yankee Stadium,” manager Joe Girardi said.

Cleveland enjoyed its accomplishment against a superpower whose $201 million payroll dwarfs the $82 million the Indians spent.

“To come in here and do what we did is something we’ll always remember,” Sizemore said.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who has attended few games since becoming increasingly frail, watched from his box to the left of home plate with baseball commissioner Bud Selig and developer Donald Trump among his guests.

Current and former New York City mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani watched from the first row to the plate side of the Yankees’ dugout in some of the most expensive seats; former Yankees pitcher David Wells sat in the bleachers. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan was on hand, as was rapper Jay-Z.

They saw the Yankees botch numerous chances in the first five innings, when they stranded 10 runners while going 0-for-7 with men in scoring position against Cliff Lee (1-2). The primary cheers were for Jorge Posada, who hit the first home run in the ballpark’s history, a fifth-inning drive that landed in Monument Park behind center field.

“I’m going to remember the home run - no question about it - but right now it’s a little disappointing,” Posada said.

CC Sabathia, pitching in pinstripes for the first time since signing a seven-year, $161 million contract, allowed an RBI double to Kelly Shoppach in the fourth. Sabathia left after 122 pitches and 5 2/3 innings in his first start against his former team.

After Edwar Ramirez and Phil Coke finished the sixth, Veras (0-1) failed to retire anyone in the seventh, walking Mark DeRosa and allowing a double to Martinez before Peralta’s double.

“I feel bad. Better to happen now than later in the season. I know I can be better than that,” Veras said.

Marte hit Shin-Soo Choo with a pitch, loaded the bases when he fielded Ben Francisco’s sacrifice and threw too late to third, then gave up an RBI single to Shoppach and walked Trevor Crowe one out later with the bases loaded, making it 5-1.

“I didn’t throw the ball inside or outside. I threw it down the middle, and I paid for it,” Marte said.

Steinbrenner, who watched the first five innings from an outdoor seat in his luxury suite, quickly went inside. From the pricey seats to the $5 obstructed-view bleacher spots, fans started leaving.