The 1961 New York Yankees started their Best of the Decades Tournament by showing just how dangerous their lineup can be, holding on to top the 1964 Chicago White Sox 7-5 in the 1st game between the teams. Juan Pizarro exited in the 2nd inning, and the Yankees feasted on White Sox relief. Moose Skowron hit a solo homer off Frank Kreutzer to get things started, and Mickey Mantle added a solo shot of his own in the 4th. In the 5th, Roger Maris got in on the action with a 2-run homer off Ray Herbert. In the 6th, Skowron added his 2nd homer of the game to put New York up 5-0. Clete Boyer added an RBI single later in the inning. Whitey Ford dominated on the mound, taking a one-hitter into the 8th. But Dave Nicholson led off with a solo homer to end the shutout. Four hits later, and Chicago had cut the Yankee lead to 6-4 and ended Ford’s day. Hal Reniff’s wild pitch made it a one-run game before New York escaped the inning. A Boyer single drove in an insurance run in the bottom of the inning, and Luis Arroyo pitched a scoreless 9th to get the same. Chicago looks to rebound in Game 2, but with some tired relievers. Pizarro is expected to miss a few games, but hopes to return later in the series.