Yankees lose new stadium opener

CC Sabathia throws the first pitch at the new Yankee Stadium to Grady Sizemore

New York Yankees finally moved into their $1bn new Yankee Stadium on Thursday - but Cleveland Indians spoiled the party with a 10-2 win.

The Yankees had staged two exhibition games at the new ballpark, but then played their first nine games of the new Major League season on the road.

The new venue is across the street from the old Yankee Stadium, built in 1923.

But hopes of a fairytale opening were dashed as Grady Sizemore hit a grand slam off reliever Damaso Marte.

Cleveland pitcher Cliff Lee, last year's American League Cy Young Award winner, picked up the win in front of a crowd of 48,271.

606: DEBATE Way to go, Cleveland - nine runs in the seventh innings dj99994

He gave up one run in six innings, as Yankees catcher Jorge Posada smashed the first home run in the new stadium to tie the game at 1-1 in the fifth innings.

Yankees starter CC Sabathia - who became the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history when he joined them as a free agent in December - matched Lee by conceding one run in six innings, but the Indians blew the game open by scoring nine runs in the seventh, including Sizemore's big blast.

"It's neat to say I started the first game in the new Yankee Stadium and to get the win makes it that much neater," Lee said.

Yankees manager Joe Giradi added: "It's not what we had hoped for and not how you want to start out a new stadium, but one game isn't going to determine the history of the stadium."

The new stadium, which is potentially far more lucrative for the Yankees than the old ground, is the second most expensive sports stadium in the world - after Wembley Stadium, the home of English football.

Demolition of the old stadium has now begun, and it will eventually be replaced with parkland.