NEW YORK, Oct 3 - The New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and St Louis Cardinals struck the first blow in their division series on Tuesday, as some of baseball's most feared sluggers opened the post-season with a bang.

Frank Thomas (Oakland), Albert Pujols (St Louis), Jason Giambi and Derek Jeter (both New York) all homered to help their teams to victory, while Oakland's Barry Zito delivered a classic performance from the mound to outduel Johan Santana in Minnesota.

In the Bronx, Giambi had a two-run blast and Jeter went five-for-five, capping a spectacular night with a solo homer, as the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4.

The Tigers limped into the post-season mired in a five game losing streak and the Yankees showed no mercy, pounding out 14 hits to secure a 1-0 lead in their American League best-of-five division series.

"It was just one of those days, they don't happen very often in the regular season or post-season," said Jeter. "In a short series you can't relax, you want to win the first game at home.

"It was a big win but it means absolutely nothing unless we win tomorrow."

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

In San Diego, Pujols broke open a scoreless contest in the fourth inning when he smashed a two-run homer off Padres starter Jake Peavy as the Cardinals beat the Padres 5-1.

"It was game changing," said Peavy. "You can't give Albert second chances because he's going to hurt you."

The Cardinals would add another run in the fourth and pushed across runs in the fifth and sixth to give Chris Carpenter a 5-0 cushion. That would be more than enough for the lefthander and the Cards took Game One of the NL division series.

In Minneapolis, Thomas homered to open the scoring in the second inning then connected on a solo shot to deep left in the ninth to clinch a Game One win for the AL West division champions in front of a disappointed capacity crowd of 55,542 at the Metrodome.

The 38-year-old slugger becomes the oldest player to have a multi-homer game in Major League post-season history.

"Like I said, big-timers show up this time of year," said Oakland first baseman Nick Swisher. "And it doesn't really get any more big-time than Frank Thomas."

Oakland starter Zito surrendered just one run on four hits and did not allow his first hit until Rondell White doubled with two out in the fifth.

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