NEW YORK Matsui's grand slam helps drive Yankees past Mets in opener

The teams played the second half of the doubleheader at Shea Stadium.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Clemens got a big lift from Hideki Matsui, and the New York Yankees made sure a long day of baseball got off to a good start.
Clemens earned his 301st victory, and Matsui hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs as the Yankees beat the Mets 7-1 Saturday in the first game of a two-ballpark, day-night doubleheader.
"It was a good game for us, it really was," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "An important part was that Roger was sharp and we played well."
Clemens (8-5) allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked one in eight innings, his first victory since winning his 300th game on June 13. He moved past Hall of Famers Lefty Grove and Early Wynn for sole possession of 19th place on the career wins list as the Yankees won their fifth straight.
Matsui gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead in the third with his second major league grand slam, and that was all the support Clemens needed at Yankee Stadium.
"Matsui's grand slam -- that was nice," Clemens said. "It's always nice to go out there with that type of lead."
Nightcap
Following the game, the teams bused over to Shea Stadium to play the nightcap at 8:10 p.m. It was just the second two-park doubleheader in the majors since 1903.
"We'll have a police escort, so it's just a matter of jumping on the bus and they'll tell you when to get off," Torre said.
On July 8, 2000, the Mets and Yankees opened at Shea and finished in the Bronx, both 4-2 Yankees wins. In the second game, Mike Piazza was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Clemens, leaving the Mets catcher with a concussion.
Piazza wasn't in the lineup for this one, the Mets' third straight loss and seventh in eight games. He's been sidelined since May 17 because of a strained groin, but the Yankees-Mets rivalry still excites the fans and players.
"The people are really into it, and the players are really into it," Mets second baseman Roberto Alomar said.
"It's a lot of fun. It's more fun if we can start winning."
Rough outing
The Yankees roughed up Jeremy Griffiths (0-1) in his first official major league start. He started last Saturday's game against the Yankees and allowed four runs -- three earned -- and six hits before it was rained out, forcing the makeup game at Shea.
After getting one out in the third, Griffiths unraveled quickly. Derek Jeter singled, and Jason Giambi and Ruben Sierra drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Matsui, who leads major league rookies with 59 RBIs, hit a 2-1 pitch into the right-field stands for his eighth homer.
"Today, their guy got into trouble and Matsui made them pay," Clemens said.
The Japanese slugger, who has recently hit his way out of a long slump, came out for a curtain call -- much to the delight of nearly all the 55,343 fans.
"I'm certainly not hitting as many home runs as I did before, but this is only my first year and hopefully as I get more time, it will come," Matsui said through an interpreter.
Sierra made it 5-0 the next inning with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off Pedro Feliciano.
Pitching performances
Griffiths allowed five runs and seven hits in three-plus innings.
"He just all of a sudden lost his command," Mets manager Art Howe said.
"The walks set up the whole inning, and the fastball was riding up. He kept throwing the fastball and Matsui hit one out. That was basically the ballgame, especially the way Roger was pitching."
Cliff Floyd, who fanned three times against Clemens, took exception with two called third strikes, but said the Yankees pitcher was at the top of his game.
"He's awesome," Floyd said. "He's a Hall of Fame pitcher with great composure out there and he never gives in."
Jeromy Burnitz put the Mets on the scoreboard with his 13th homer in the fifth.
A handful of Mets fans stood and cheered, but Yankees fans quickly -- and loudly -- drowned them out with boos.
Matsui made it 6-1 in the sixth with an RBI single that drove in Alfonso Soriano.
Todd Zeile's ground-rule double in the seventh scored Raul Mondesi, who also doubled.
NEW YORK (N)NEW YORK (A)
abrhbiabrhbi
Cedeno rf3010ASrano 2b5220
TPerez cf4010Jeter ss5130
RAlmr 2b4010JaGbi 1b3100
Floyd dh4000Sierra dh2101
Wggntn 3b4000Matsui cf3125
Burnitz lf4111Posada c3000
JPhllps 1b4020KGarca lf3020
VWilsn c3000JRivra lf2000
Reyes ss3000Mndesi rf4110
Zeile 3b4011
Totals33161Totals347117
New York (N)000010000--1
New York (A)00410110x--7
E--Griffiths (1). DP--New York (N) 1. LOB--New York (N) 6, New York (A) 12. 2B--JPhillips (7), Mondesi (20), Zeile (7). HR--Burnitz (13), Matsui (8). SF--Sierra.
IPHRERBBSO
New York (N)
Griffiths L,0-1375531
Feliciano542245
New York (A)
Clemens W,8-5861117
Anderson100000
Griffiths pitched to 2 batters in the 4th. HBP--by Feliciano (Matsui). WP--Feliciano. Umpires--Home, Eric Cooper; First, Matt Hollowell; Second, Ed Rapuano; Third, Bill Hohn. T--2:53. A--55,343.