Kei Igawa returned from a long minor league stint and looked great until he lost his control in the fifth inning. With the Yankees having a comfortable 5-0 lead, Igawa got wild in the fifth and Vizquel drove in one run with a single and Barry Bonds walked with the bases loaded for the second run. Luis Vizcaino was summoned from the bullpen and almost gave up the lead. Benji Molina took Vizcaino to deep left and Matsui had to make a leaping catch against the wall to end the inning.

The Yankees got their lead early as Cain was wild and walked in a run with Igawa at the bat. A-Rod had his first RBI early and Cabrera added a two run single and Abreu chipped in with a sacrifice fly.

Scott Proctor faced Bonds with the Yankees leading 6-2 and challenged him and lost. On a 3-2 pitch, Proctor unleashed a 95 MPH fastball which Bonds redirected over the right center field fence for his 749th career home run.

Mariano Rivera was brought in to get the last five outs and did so while only giving up one hit. A-Rod was four for four on the night plus a walk and two RBI.

The series resumes on Saturday afternoon with Chien-Ming Wang on the hill for the Bombers.