Freeman goes deep, Braves beat Yankees 8-5 in SunTrust debut (Mar 31, 2017)
ATLANTA (AP) Bartolo Colon began his career the year Turner Field opened.
Big Sexy wound up outlasting the Ted.
The 43-year-old Colon got in a final tuneup for his 20th big league season in Atlanta's first game at SunTrust Park, going three innings as the Braves opened their new stadium with an 8-5 exhibition victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night.
''I'm very happy to have gotten that opportunity,'' Colon said through an interpreter. ''I'm happy because I feel 100 percent. I feel great physically and mentally. So I'm ready to go.''
New York's Greg Bird hit the first homer in the new park, a two-run shot off Colon in the third. It was Bird's eighth homer of the spring, tied with Washington's Bryce Harper for most in the majors, and pushed the first baseman's average to .451.
Freddie Freeman countered for the Braves in the bottom half with a three-run homer over the high brick wall in right-center. Jace Peterson had the big hit in a five-run sixth, clearing the bases with a three-run double that dropped between three New York players.
The exhibition, before a crowd of 21,392, wrapped up the spring for both teams and served as a soft opening for the new stadium, which still has some kinks to work out. The lights flickered a couple of times, the center field scoreboard went out briefly and the press elevator malfunctioned.
Colon, who allowed four hits with two strikeouts, was followed to the mound by 42-year-old R.A. Dickey. They will make Atlanta the first team since the 1990 Texas Rangers to have two 40-year-old pitchers in the starting rotation.
Dickey pitched two scoreless innings.
Michael Pineda went five innings for the Yankees, surrendering six hits with six strikeouts.
Manager Joe Girardi was perturbed about the pitch that Pineda served up to Freeman with two outs in the third after giving up a single to Dansby Swanson.
''It's really important that he cleans those up, that he gets that third out and the inning doesn't continue,'' Girardi said. ''He made a mistake to (Swanson) and got a ball up and then he made a mistake to Freeman and got a ball up. Swanson gets on ahead of Freeman and you're asking for trouble.''
TRAINERS ROOM
Yankees: New York will not need a fifth starting pitcher for the first two weeks of the season. RHP Chad Green, who will open the season with Double-A Trenton, is a candidate to be recalled when another starter is needed. Girardi said left-hander Jordan Montgomery will remain ready with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. ''Things could fall where he's back in the rotation,'' the manager said. ''It would have to happen pretty quickly.'' Girardi said the fifth starter is one of the biggest questions that will have to be answered for the Yankees to be a playoff team.
Braves: RHP Mauricio Cabrera (elbow soreness) will begin the season on the DL. He made his last spring appearance on March 20 when he allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Marlins. The Braves do not believe there is a structural problem with the elbow.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka will make his third straight opening day start when the Yankees start the season at the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Tanaka went 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 31 starts last season, setting a career high for wins.
Braves: Julio Teheran will pitch for the Braves when they open the season Monday in New York against the Mets. The right-handed is one of only two holdovers from the 2016 starting staff.
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