Yankees' Sabathia makes first appearance since heart procedure

New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia has returned to the mound for the first time since undergoing a heart procedure in December.

Sabathia allowed one run and two hits over two innings on Thursday in a minor league exhibition game, striking out three for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Toledo, Detroit's Triple-A affiliate.

Sabathia, who has announced he's retiring after the season, said he "felt great" after his 26-pitch outing.

"No problems. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand pretty good. All positive," Sabathia said.

Tigers center field prospect Daz Cameron, the son of former major leaguer Mike Cameron, had a first-inning double and Hector Sanchez hit an opposite-field homer to right during the second. Sabathia will make another minor league appearance on Tuesday against Philadelphia Phillies prospects. He expected to miss his first two or three regular season starts.

"He's progressed pretty well," Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "We just need to build him up. He's going through an early part of spring training."

The 38-year-old had a stent inserted this winter after a blockage was found in an artery from his heart. He has had chronic right knee problems that required several operations. Sabathia also has a five-game suspension pending for hitting the Tampa Bay Rays' Jesus Sucre with a pitch in his final start last season.

The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner with Cleveland, Sabathia is 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts in 18 major league seasons. He was 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last season. This will be his 11th year with the Yankees.

2 hats are better than 1: Mendoza happy with ESPN, Mets role

Jessica Mendoza has heard the ribbing.

An ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst since 2015, she added a part-time role last month as a New York Mets baseball operations adviser.

"OK, you work for the Mets, we can't talk to you anymore," she recalled hearing from teams during her spring training rounds, quickly adding "in a joking way."

She's not worried that wearing two hats will lead to less inside info for her two ears. In an era when players and clubs treat the tiniest tidbit as a state secret, Mendoza already felt teams were hesitant to provide her intelligence in her pundit role because they knew "information they would give me as a member from ESPN was about to go on air." She doesn't expect that to change with the new job title.

Mendoza spoke Thursday during a conference call with booth-mate Alex Rodriguez to promote the 30th anniversary of ESPN's Sunday night broadcasts, which also include play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian.

Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president of production and remote events, expressed confidence in Mendoza's impartiality. She will continue to broadcast games involving the Mets.

"We're not looking to fool anybody. We're not looking to trick the viewers into anything," he said. "We'll be upfront with viewers off the top of the game, letting people know, and we will let the viewers decide ultimately if this is something that they're on board with."

Rodriguez has been a New York Yankees adviser since his retirement, among several players to work as broadcasters while retaining a part-time role with a team.

"Alex's commentary last year on a Yankee game was no different than if it was on any other game," Gross said.

A member of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004 and 2008, Mendoza said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen first spoke with her about a position last August or September, when he still was co-ahead of the CAA Baseball agency and was preparing to interview with New York.

"I'm actually putting you in my presentation and I just wanted to get your OK with that, your thoughts," she remembered him saying. "So we kind of started talking about it then, and from there, obviously, he got the job."

Van Wagenen asked her at first whether she would move to New York to work for the Mets full-time, an entreaty Mendoza took as "a little joking." The 38-year-old wanted to remain in California, where her kids go to school.

She views ESPN as her "full-bore priority." Mendoza has spent one day working for the Mets since she was hired March 5.

Mendoza says she isn't worried that Mets owner Fred Wilpon or chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, the owner's son, would be upset if she is critical. Mendoza promises to be just as reproving directly with team management.

"Part of my job is to kind of look, evaluate and knowing that, be honest. I'm an analyst first," she said. "I would hope that that's why they hired me, because of my honesty and criticism and not just to say all the right things."

Cardinals 11, Yankees 3

Marcell Ozuna hit his first spring homer and had three hits, and Dexter Fowler hit two homers for the Cardinals. Jake Woodford allowed three runs in four innings. Dakota Hudson was named the team's No. 5 starter after the game.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Greg Bird would likely play over the weekend after being held out Thursday after being hit on his right elbow in the first inning of Wednesday's game. Bird is batting .333 with three doubles, three homers and 17 RBIs. Domingo German got the start and gave up five runs and three homers over 3 2/3 innings.

Mets 6, Marlins 0

Brandon Nimmo had two homers and four RBIs, and Michael Conforto hit his fifth homer of the spring for the Mets. Steven Matz pitched five strong innings, striking out three and allowing six hits. Led by Edwin Diaz, the bullpen followed with four hitless innings.

Marlins' starter Wei-Yin Chen allowed five runs and seven hits, two of them home runs.

Red Sox 8, Rays 0

Dustin Pedroia had two hits, Rafael Devers tripled and Boston's pitchers combined on a four-hitter. Hector Velazquez allowed two hits in two innings to start, Matt Barnes struck out the side in the fourth, and Colten Brewer and Marcus Walden also looked sharp in relief.

Promising Rays youngster Willy Adames was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, dropping his spring average to .184.