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 In the final game of an emotional return to the Metrodome, Hunter homered leading off the seventh inning to back a strong start from Ervin Santana and help the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Thursday.
Prior to his drive, Hunter had gone just 2-for-14 to start the season and admitted to being gassed from the ceremonies and warm welcomes he received from Twins fans who watched him star in center field for the previous nine years.
"That's big, to kind of end it that way," said Hunter, who was honored with a pregame video on opening day and given his Gold Glove before Game 2. "I started to slow down the last two games. I didn't have any opening day ceremonies or anything like that.
"It was more emotional, man, than anything. Just coming back, walking up the wrong way, going in the wrong clubhouse, running to center field from the wrong side. It was weird."
In other AL games, it was New York Yankees 3, Toronto 2; Kansas City 4, Detroit 1; and Chicago White Sox 2, Cleveland 1. The Tampa Bay-Baltimore game at Camden Yards was postponed by rain.
On getaway day, Hunter had just enough left in him to muscle a mistake from Brian Bass into the seats in left-center field, and the small crowd at the Dome gave one last standing ovation to the fan favorite who signed a $90 million, five-year deal with the Angels in the offseason.
Mike Napoli and Gary Matthews Jr. also homered for Los Angeles. Hunter went 1-for-4 to finish the series 3-for-16.
"I am drained. I'm tired. Mentally tired," Hunter said. "I get to go home and relax, back at home in L.A. No pressure. No emotional (situations). I'm good to go."
Francisco Rodriguez got Michael Cuddyer swinging with runners on first and second to end the game and pick up his second save. The Angels took three of four from the Twins to open the season and got an encouraging start from Santana (1-0), who gave up two runs and four hits in six innings.
Joe Mauer had two doubles and two RBIs for the Twins, who lost starter Kevin Slowey (0-1) in the fourth inning with a strained right biceps.
Slowey, the 2007 Twins minor league player of the year, gave up three runs and four hits in 3 1-3 innings.
Manager Ron Gardenhire said Slowey likely will skip his next start and be evaluated from there.
"It's nothing serious but certainly nothing that we want to mess around with," Slowey said. "I'll keep it in ice and follow the trainers the next couple days and see how it goes."
Jason Kubel homered in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4, but that was it for Minnesota's struggling bats. Justin Morneau went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and is 0-for-13 this season.
Yankees 3, Blue Jays 2
Bobby Abreu's bloop single snapped an eighth-inning tie, and the Yankees got a solid outing from Phil Hughes.
After scoring 76 more runs than any other team in the major leagues last season, New York's powerful lineup managed only eight in its first three games against a fine Toronto pitching staff. Still, that was enough to take two of three in the series at Yankee Stadium.
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Joba Chamberlain (1-0) worked a scoreless inning and Mariano Rivera got three outs for his second save.
With the score tied at 2 on a 42-degree night, Melky Cabrera opened the eighth with a single off Brian Wolfe (0-1). Scott Downs bobbled Johnny Damon's sacrifice bunt for an error that allowed Damon to reach safely, and Derek Jeter advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt.
Abreu then dropped a soft single into center for his first RBI, making him 5-for-10 on the year.
Royals 4, Tigers 1
Zack Greinke allowed one run in seven innings, Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen homered and the visiting Royals completed a season-opening three-game sweep.
Kansas City is 3-0 for the first time since winning its first nine games in 2003. Last year, the Royals didn't win a series until their sixth try, when they took two of three against Minnesota from April 20-22.
Detroit, with the second-highest payroll in the major leagues at $138.7 million, scored only five runs in the series. The Tigers lost their first three games for the first time since 2003, when they began 0-9 and finished with an AL-record 119 losses.
Brandon Inge ended Detroit's 18-inning scoreless streak with a solo homer in the seventh.
Greinke (1-0) gave up six hits and Joakim Soria earned his second save.
Jeremy Bonderman (0-1) gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings for Detroit.
White Sox 2, Indians 1
John Danks didn't allow a hit until Casey Blake singled leading off the sixth inning and Joe Crede hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth for the visiting White Sox.
Cleveland scored 17 runs in winning the first two games of the series but managed two hits against four pitchers.
Danks allowed one run and two hits in 6 2-3 innings. Octavio Dotel (1-1) retired Blake on a flyout with runners on second and third to end the seventh, Scott Linebrink pitched a perfect eighth and Bobby Jenks retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save.
Jake Westbrook (0-1) gave up two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Indians.
[Associated Press]
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