Lee leads Phillies to opening win

World Series champions the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 in the opening game of their play-off series.

Starter Cliff Lee was the stand-out performer, pitching eight straight scoreless innings before conceding one run in the ninth.

Opposite number Ubaldo Jimenez matched him in the first four innings, but Philadelphia picked up two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to move clear.

Raul Ibanez had two hits and two RBIs for the Phillies.

The New York Yankees brought the Minnesota Twins back down to earth with a bump by winning the first game of their America League series 7-2.

Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui hit home runs and Alex Rodriguez chipped in with two RBI to help the Yankees to victory.

The Twins yesterday earned thrilling 6-5 win in the 12th inning over the Detroit Tigers in their one-game tie-breaker for the AL Central crown.

And they held their own in the early stages against New York before their opponents seized control in the fifth inning.

The Twins trailed by just one run going into the fifth, but the Yankees then hit three without reply to extend their lead from 3-2 to 6-2.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St Louis Cardinals 5-3 in their NLDS opener.

Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to put the Dodgers 2-1 in front, a lead they did not relinquish for the remainder of the match.

Rafael Furcal also impressed with three hits and an RBI, while Chris Carpenter allowed four runs in five innings for St Louis.