Damon gets first hit at New Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK - The first hit ever at The New Yankee Stadium will go down in the books as a one-out single to center by Johnny Damon off 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee.

Damon, batting second in the Yankees' order behind Derek Jeter, went up the middle with a 1-2 pitch. Just prior to the at-bat, another nice touch by the Yankees when they placed the bat that Babe Ruth hit the first Yankee Stadium homer with across home plate. Jeter came over and picked up the bat and in a funny moment actually handed the batboy his own bat as if he were going to use the Babe's lumber. The bat returned to the Yankee dugout where a few Yankees, including Jorge Posada, took turns trying to swing the enormous piece of lumber.

Ruth's homer came on April 18, 1923. It was a third-inning, three-run homer off Red Sox pitcher Howard Ehmke and it proved the margin of victory in a 4-1 Yankees' opening day victory over the Red Sox. The bat was on loan from the collection of Richard Angrist and it will be on display at the Yankees Museum until the All-Star break.