CLEVELAND (AP) - Kenny Lofton spent the past few days offering his young teammates advice about how to approach their first trip to the playoffs.

Relax, he told them.
Seize the moment, he told them.
Treat them like any other games.
Lofton then followed his own advice.

The 40-year-old, who still speeds around the bases as if he's 25, haunted one of his many former teams with four RBIs as the Cleveland Indians made a spectacular return to the postseason after a six-year hiatus by crushing the New York Yankees 12-3 in the opener of their AL playoff series on Thursday night.

C.C. Sabathia overcame a shaky start - and a narrow strike zone - as the Indians, who lost all six of their games against the Yankees during the regular season, came out swinging like they did in Octobers past.

Just as Lofton told them to.

Cleveland's kids came through with a dazzling performance against the Yankees, who find themselves in another playoff hole.

It was a stunning turnaround for the Indians, who were outscored 49-17 by New York during the regular season. "The playoffs are a whole different atmosphere," Lofton said.

"You start from scratch."

On an unusually warm night that felt more Indian summer than fall, the AL Central champions looked as though they just might be the team to beat as they chase their first World Series title in 59 years.

"They just were hitting everything," Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez said. "Even their outs were hard."

A-Rod will have to wait at least another day to repair his tarnished postseason image. Sabathia and three Cleveland relievers silenced his powerful bat. New York's third baseman went 0-for-2, walked twice - once intentionally - and was a non-factor as baseball's most-feared lineup managed five hits.

On Friday, the Yankees turn to Andy Pettitte, who is 14-9 in postseason play but 0-3 in three outings against the Indians. Fausto Carmona, Cleveland's other 19-game winner, will oppose him.

The Yankees are now 3-11 since their collapse in the 2004 against Boston, and unless they get their offense going, October will be a short month again.

"We've been in this position before," Derek Jeter said.

The Indians' playoff inexperience was never a factor. Cleveland's kids were all right.

"They just went out there and played the game," said Lofton. "You don't have to have a whole lot of experience to understand that the game hasn't changed. That's what I've been talking to the guys about: Go out there and play baseball."

Playoff newcomer Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer and rookie Asdrubal Cabrera had a solo shot off ineffective starter Chien-Ming
Wang, whose sinker was nonexistent. Travis Hafner and Ryan Garko
also homered as the Indians knocked the Bronx Bombers flat.

Casey Blake added two RBIs for Cleveland, which fed off a towel-waving crowd that even turned on Cavaliers superstar LeBron
James, a devoted New York fan who boldly came to Jacobs Field
wearing a Yankees cap.

Early on, fans sitting near James behind home plate chanted "Take off the cap," and by the sixth inning, he did.

When Hafner's homer off Ross Ohlendorf gave the Indians a 10-3
lead, James turned to his entourage and ordered an exit.

The Yankees went nearly as fast.

"We needed to stop them," said Johnny Damon, who hit a disputed homer leading off the game. "We couldn't stop their offense. Everything they were hitting went out of the park. You definitely don't want to see that happen in the first game."

Indians manager Eric Wedge, another playoff first-timer, was prepared to ride Sabathia as long as needed. If that meant 120 or 130 pitches, Wedge was willing to let his left-hander push his limit.

Wedge never could have imagined that would come after five innings.

Not only did Sabathia, who entered 1-7 with a 7.13 ERA in his career against New York, have to deal with New York's awesome lineup, but plate umpire Bruce Froemming's strike zone was paper thin for the left-hander, who threw 114 pitches, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings.

"He had to work about as hard as he's ever had to work," Wedge
said.

Sabathia walked six (his total for September), but none of them scored. He also allowed two homers - both to lefties - and had one of his worst outings all season.

"He bent but he didn't break," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

The Yankees' best chance to get to Sabathia came in the fifth. Trailing 4-3, they put runners at second and third with one out, but with first base open, Sabathia walked Rodriguez to face Jorge Posada.

Posada got ahead 3-0 in the count, and got the green light from Torre but fouled off a pitch before eventually striking out.

"Posada helped me out a little bit," Sabathia said.

Then, he got behind 2-0 to Hideki Matsui before getting the Yankees' DH to pop to shortstop, ending New York's last rally.

"When things are getting a little crazy, that's when you need to be the coolest cat in the house," Wedge said of his ace. "When you have that type of ability, and you've had the year and the career he's had, there's every reason for him to be that confident and to show that poise out there."

As he left the field, Sabathia pounded his glove and glared at Froemming.

"Bruce did a great job," he said to laughter.

The Indians put it away with five runs in their half of the fifth, the big blows coming on Martinez's two-run homer off Wang, a 19-game winner during the regular season, and Blake's two-run double, a shot that sent the crowd of 44,608 into a frenzy.

The moment transported Lofton, traded back in July for his third stint with Cleveland, back to '95, when he was the speedy leadoff catalyst on a team with Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez that made it to the Series.

Lofton, making his 11th postseason appearance, spent 2004 with
the Yankees. But it was a disappointing season as he didn't play
much and he came up short in his quest to win a championship.

"It's always good to face the team you played for and go out there and show them I can still do it," he said. "I was over there trying to get a ring and I almost got one. That's my biggest thing now, I'm trying to get a ring."

Notes: Lofton got his 33rd steal in the postseason, tying Rickey Henderson for the career record. ... The Indians tied a club postseason record with four homers. They've now done it three times, twice in 1998. ... Pettitte is 0-3 with a 9.73 ERA in three postseason starts against Cleveland. ... Carmona got a no-decision against the Yankees in April and lost to them in August, when he allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)