NEW YORK, Oct 3 - The New York Yankees, led by the one-two punch of Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 on Tuesday to take the opening game of their best-of-five American League divisional playoff series.

Jeter went 5-for-5, capping a spectacular night with a homer in the eighth. Abreu knocked in four runs with a two-run double and two-run single to pace a 14-hit attack.

Yankees starter Wang Chien-Ming, who won 19 games in the regular season, went 6-2/3 innings to earn the win. Bullpen master Mariano Rivera finished off the Tigers in the ninth.

Detroit squandered two early scoring opportunities on a balmy night in the Bronx, failing to cash in with runners on first and second and none out in the second inning, and runners on first and third with one out in the third.

The Yankees made Detroit regret their lost chances with a five-run explosion in the bottom of the third that electrified the crowd of 56,291.

Johnny Damon led off the inning with a dribbler that just eluded pitcher Nate Robertson. Jeter followed with a line drive double to left-center and Abreu drove them both in with a ringing double to right-center.

Gary Sheffield singled to score Abreu, and Jason Giambi added a crowning touch with a towering fly that carried over the wall in right for a two-run homer and a 5-0 lead.

The Tigers clawed back three runs in the fifth. Craig Monroe homered before a pair of two-out doubles by Placido Polanco and Sean Casey, scoring Brandon Inge and Polanco.

Abreu brought home Jeter and Damon in the sixth with a ground single to right before Curtis Granderson blasted a homer in the seventh off New York reliever Mike Myers to make the score 7-4.

Jeter answered with his fifth hit of the game -- a sizzling solo shot over the centerfield wall to close the scoring at 8-4.

The series resumes on Wednesday with Mike Mussina, 15-7 in the regular season, going for the Yankees against Detroit rookie righthander Justin Verlander (17-9).