Alex Rodriguez announced his return to the Yankees by hitting a three-run homer on the first pitch of his late-starting season, CC Sabathia pitched a four-hitter and New York ended a five-game losing streak by defeating the Baltimore Orioles 4-0 Friday night.

Tormented by stories of his steroid use and slowed by hip surgery that forced him to begin the season on the disabled list, Rodriguez could finally turn his attention toward playing baseball when he stepped to the plate in the first inning against Jeremy Guthrie (2-3).

As a dozen fans waved plastic foam syringes a few rows behind the plate, A-Rod stepped into a fastball and sent it soaring into the left-field seats. It was his 554th career home run.