DETROIT — Jordan Zimmermann pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout ball while Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs with a solo home run and a single Friday to make the unbeaten Detroit Tigers’ home opener a success with a 4-0 victory over the New York Yankees.
Zimmermann (1-0), signed as a free agent from Washington, allowed just three baserunners in his 99-pitch outing. He gave up singles in the third and fourth, walked three and struck out three.
Relievers Justin Wilson and Kyle Ryan completed the three-hit shutout with an inning apiece as Detroit cooled off New York bats that had hit .314 while winning two of three games with Houston.
Cabrera’s first extra-base hit of the season was an opposite-field home run into the right field seats in the seventh off rookie reliever Luis Cessa, making his major league debut. Cessa was obtained by Detroit from the New York Mets in the July deadline deal for Yoenis Cespedes and included in the winter trade the Tigers made with the Yankees for Justin Wilson.
Iglesias singled in the first of two Detroit runs in the fourth and then loaded the bases with a single to left center off a curveball by New York reliever Johnny Barbato in the sixth. Detroit did not score in the sixth.
One-out ingles by J.D. Martinez, Nick Castellanos, and James McCann off Luis Severino (0-1) loaded the bases in the fourth and Iglesias gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with his single to right center. Anthony Gose hit into a fielder’s choice to second to score the second run of the inning.
Ian Kinsler doubled and scored on a single to right by Cabrera in the first to stake Zimmermann to a 1-0 lead.
Castellanos had four singles in the game and was lifted for pinch runner Andrew Romine in the eighth. Romine stayed in the game to play third and it was believed to be the first time in the majors he played against his brother Austin, catcher for the Yankees. Their father Kevin is a former major league player and coach.
NOTES: Two New York veterans were not in the Yankees’ starting lineup Friday — RF Carlos Beltran and DH Alex Rodriguez — due to “a late turnaround,” said manager Joe Girardi. Veteran Mark Teixeira was the DH with Dustin Ackley getting his 24th career start at first base. Aaron Hicks was in right. … Tigers LF Cameron Maybin and RHP Alex Wilson are on minor league rehab assignments with Class A Lakeland, on target for a mid-April return to Detroit. … The game marked the first time the Romine brothers, utility man Andrew of Detroit and New York catcher Austin, appeared in the same box score. Andrew has spent three seasons with the Tigers after limited time with the Los Angeles Angels while Austin has been in 79 games over parts of five seasons with the Yankees. … Bad weather is forecast for the two remaining scheduled Yankee games in Detroit. Saturday afternoon calls for a high of 33 degrees and Sunday night brings a 90 percent chance of rain with temperatures below 40 for the nationally televised game.