The first game at the new Yankee Stadium took place in a wet climate, filled with a palpable excitement, and that fresh new stadium smell. The Chicago Cubs may have had the first player to ever get a hit at the new ballpark in Aaron Miles, but they didn’t have enough to stop the first Yankee to ever get a hit, Derek Jeter, and the power strokes of Robinson Cano (two-run homer in the second inning), Hideki Matsui (two-run dinger in the third), and Cody Ransom (three-run blast in the fourth) as the New York Yankees went on to win 7-4.

Reggie Jackson threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Yankees, which seemed appropriate as Jackson was the first high-priced Yankee that was either loved or hate because of the money surrounding him, but also the undeniable talent. Sound familiar?

In any case, Yankee starter Chien-Ming Wang looked off and is still in the middle of getting back to form as he pitched five innings, gave up four runs on six hits, and struck out three versus walking two. This was Wang’s first win of spring training, but the Yankees’ ninth consecutive W. They are 23-10 overall this spring. The Yankees look to continue their winning streak with another exhibition game at the Stadium versus the very same Cubs on Saturday.

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There’s this Alex Rodriguez guy, you might have heard of him, who is currently out due to hip surgery rehabilitation and won’t return until mid-May or so. Since Rodriguez is the New York Yankees regular starting third baseman, someone needs to fill in for him while he’s out. Enter Cody Ransom.

But, who is Cody Ransom?

He’s a career upper-downer, going back and forth between the minor leagues and majors in the 11 seasons he’s played professional ball. He was drafted in the ninth round (278th overall) of the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He debuted with the Giants on September 5, 2001 and in every season he’s played, Ransom has played in the minors and owns career numbers of .242 BA; .747 OPS; 162 HR; 576 RBI; 643 R; 1173 K; 474 BB; 126 SB in 1193 games. In the majors, his numbers aren’t all that better, as he hit .251 BA; .780 OPS; 7 HR; 24 RBI; 41 R; 58 K; 23 BB; 2 SB in 166 games.

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