Kathy Willens, Associated Press photos Shortstop Jack Wilson crashes to the Yankee Stadium turf after trying to tag out New York's Bernie Williams in the fifth inning of the teams' first meeting last night since 1960. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Torre is impressed with McClendon Sharpless' season perfect in every way Collier: Series' dynamics unchanged by blowout in first game Smizik: TV builds pipeline to dugout Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Pirates Minor League Report

NEW YORK -- The sights and feel of Yankee Stadium can be overwhelming, especially to an opponent that has not visited in nearly five decades.

But it was something the Pirates could neither see nor touch that provided the dominant theme of their 9-0 humbling at the hands of the New York Yankees last night:

Mike Mussina's changeup.

His curveball, too.

And the cutter.

And all those first-pitch fastballs for strikes.

"He was outstanding, and that's the ballgame in a nutshell," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "It was pretty evident early that he was on his game, and he just shut us down."

Mussina cruised to his 23rd career shutout and allowed five hits. He retired the first 14 batters before Daryle Ward's single down the right-field line in the fifth. Only nine balls reached the outfield. Only three runners reached second base.

For all McClendon had done to prepare his Pirates for their first experience in the House that Ruth Built since the 1960 World Series, there was little that could have been done to brace them for a masterful showing by the Yankees' ace.

The Pirates never had faced Mussina, and it was easy to get the idea they would be delighted never to do so again.

"He's one of those guys who comes at you with five and six pitches, all of them for strikes," outfielder Matt Lawton said. "He's crafty. He had everything working, and he kept us off balance."

The Pirates' Kip Wells did not fare nearly as well, to say the least.

He was knocked out after 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits. He walked four, ran up a laborious pitch count of 102, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and struck out only one in falling to 5-5.

Mike Mussina tips his cap to the Yankee Stadium crowd after shutting out the Pirates on five hits. Click photo for larger image.

"The command was not there," McClendon said. "He wasn't throwing strikes early on batters, and it hurt him."

Wells shared that view, pointing out that the Yankees, who have one of the most patient lineups in the game, waited for their pitches on most at-bats.

"They just kept putting pressure on me," Wells said. "I felt like they had me on the ropes all night, that I couldn't get ahead in the count."

McClendon had ordered any players wishing to stroll through Monument Park or check out other aspects of Yankee Stadium to report early for work. A few showed up an hour before the 2:45 p.m. workout, but not more than 10. Shortstop Jack Wilson said he had his parents in attendance and was waving his camcorder, but few others seemed moved much.

"It's kind of neat being here and all, and some guys had fun with it," catcher David Ross said. "But I don't think we were in awe or anything."

McClendon had been dismissing the effect of Yankee Stadium in the days leading up to the game, and that did not change afterward.

"What's the stadium have to do with it?" he said. "Mike Mussina had something to do with it."

Third baseman Freddy Sanchez acknowledged, though, that the atmosphere might have played a role.

"You could see we had a lot of guys going up there eager and just taking their cuts, myself included," he said after going 0 for 3. "There was a lot of hype back home about us coming up here, and maybe Yankee Stadium had something to do with our approach."

		TODAY Game: Pirates (Redman 4-4) at New York Yankees (Brown 4-6), 7:05 p.m. TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020) and the Pirates Radio Network.

Hideki Matsui nearly was scratched from New York's lineup because of a sprained ankle, but manager Joe Torre used him as the designated hitter, and it paid off. With one out in the second, Matsui drove a Wells fastball into the seats in right-center.

Wells allowed a run in each of the next two innings and was knocked out by a four-run fifth highlighted by a two-run double from Jason Giambi.

The Pirates almost broke Mussina's shutout in the sixth. With Lawton on first, Jason Bay doubled to deep center. Despite a 7-0 deficit, third-base coach John Russell waved home Lawton, who was nailed easily at the plate on an excellent relay.

McClendon defended Russell's call, saying, "We're trying to score a run."

Lawton said he was "a little surprised" to be waved in that situation, but he, too, defended it.

"As the runner, you just have to keep running," he said. "You're down seven, but maybe you're trying to make something happen."

Ryan Doumit's comebacker to Mussina in the ninth brought out the familiar strains of "New York, New York" to mark the Pirates' first back-to-back losses since May 24-25, the third time they were shut out and an ugly opening to their momentous trip that also includes Boston's Fenway Park.

"Maybe it's just good to get this whole day out of the way," Sanchez said. "Of course, we didn't want to get it out of the way like this."