Derek Jeter celebrates after crossing home plate on a RBI single by Alex Rodriguez in the fifth inning. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Derek Jeter added to his big-game resumé, while Alex Rodriguez took a step toward repairing a battered reputation, as the New York Yankees opened the post-season with a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.

Jeter's two-run homer in the third inning ignited the Yankees' attack, and Rodriguez added some insurance with RBI singles in the fifth and seventh as New York overcame an early 2-0 deficit to emerge victorious in the first post-season game at the new Yankee Stadium.

"Just like the old place," said Jeter, who won four rings there. "We couldn't have drawn it up any better for us."

The Yankees captain, coming off an MVP-calibre season during which he passed Lou Gehrig to become the team's all-time leader in hits, went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and scored three times.

Rodriguez snapped an 0-for-29 skid with runners on base in the post-season, and also scored on a two-run homer by Hideki Matsui.

"It definitely felt good," Rodriguez said. "There's no questions the numbers aren't good, but you've got to come out and play."

CC Sabathia, another Yankee facing outsized expectations after signing a $161-million US contract before this season to become the New York ace, delivered 6 2/3 solid innings. The hefty lefty allowed two runs — one earned — on eight hits while striking out eight and walking no one.

"This is what you come here for," Sabathia said. "It was electric tonight."

Game 2 of the best-of-five American League Division Series goes Friday evening in the Bronx, with New York's A.J. Burnett (13-9 in the regular season) squaring off against Nick Blackburn (11-11).

That's Jeter

The Twins rolled into the Big Apple with plenty of momentum but perhaps little sleep after outlasting the Detroit Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings in Tuesday night's one-game playoff to decide the AL Central champion.

With ace Scott Baker burned in that game, Minnesota turned to rookie Brian Duensing to start against a powerful lineup that propelled New York to a big-league-best 103-59 record and the AL East crown.

Duensing started strong, allowing just one hit over the first two innings, and his teammates gave him a 2-0 lead to work with in the third when Michael Cuddyer slapped an RBI single and Joe Mauer later scored on a pass ball charged to Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.

The sloppy inning raised the anxiety level of the sellout crowd, and for good reason. Yankees fans haven't celebrated a playoff series win since 2004, the year New York blew a three-games-to-one lead in the AL Championship Series and lost to the hated Boston Red Sox, who went on to capture their first World Series title since 1918.

But Jeter wiped away the worry with one swing in the bottom of the third, belting a two-run shot into a sea of delirous — and relieved — fans in the left-field seats.

"You get a two-run lead quick, and as soon as you go back out, it's a 2-2 ballgame with a homer," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's a little deflating."

"That's Derek Jeter at this time of the year."

An inning later, Nick Swisher ripped an RBI double into the left-field corner to make it 3-2, and the Bronx Bombers never looked back.

A-Rod delivers

Rodriguez, maligned for his post-season struggles in pinstripes, flied out to end the first, extending his playoff hitless streak with runners in scoring position to 19 at-bats. He then struck out with a runner on in the third.

But A-Rod gave the Yankees and himself some breathing room in the fifth when he lashed Duensing's last pitch of the night into left-centre to plate Jeter.

Matsui greeted reliever Francisco Liriano with a two-run bomb over the wall in centre that made it 6-2.

Rodriguez piled on in the seventh, smacking a long single off the wall in right off Jon Rauch to bring Jeter around.

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera worked the ninth in a non-save situation. The all-time post-season saves leader struck out the first two batters before yielding a walk and a single, then induced Orlando Cabrera to ground out to end the game.