updated 10:05 p.m. ET March 30, 2004

TOKYO - Tino Martinez got off to a great start in his homecoming — even though he was far from home.

In his first game with Tampa Bay, Martinez led the Devil Rays to an 8-3 victory over the New York Yankees at Tokyo Dome in the major league season opener Tuesday.

Martinez went 3-for-3 and hit the 300th home run of his career, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that gave the Devil Rays a five-run lead.

“I’m just happy we got the win,” said Martinez, who played for the Yankees from 1996-01. “It’s great to beat the Yankees and I’m happy to get the home run anywhere. It’s a good feeling to get yourself started.”

Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella, himself a former Yankee, couldn’t have been more pleased with Martinez’s performance.

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“Tino had three base hits and the two-run homer gave us the cushion we needed,” Piniella said.

Even though the capacity crowd was cheering for Hideki Matsui and the Yankees, fans gave Martinez a nice hand when it was announced between innings that he had reached 300 homers.

“That was very nice,” he said. “The fans here have treated me and my teammates so well. Tonight, they were clearly cheering for the Yankees, but we gave them a few things to cheer about, too.”

Martinez also said it was fun to have a big game against his former team.

“The Yankees have a great ballclub,” he said. “The Yankees will be tough all year and any win you can get against them is going to give you confidence.”

Martinez struggled the past two years in St. Louis, then was traded to his hometown Devil Rays in the offseason. He’s expected to provide the young team with experience and solid defense at first base. He was the only former All-Star in Tampa Bay’s lineup Tuesday.

“After last season, management had a meeting and we talked about picking up some veterans from winning teams who could come in and stabilize things,” Piniella said.

“I said to him, ’Don’t feel like you have to hit 30 home runs, just do what you’re capable of. Help the young players and provide leadership,’ and that’s what he’s done.”

And if Martinez puts up big power numbers again, that will be a bonus.

“I’m just really going to focus on one game at a time,” he said. “But it’s always nice to get that first homer out of the way.”

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