WE GO AGAIN:

The sun came out in Arizona. Free agents played for their new teams. Ichiro Suzuki was back in uniform at age 45.

Baseball is back.

A day after the scheduled exhibition opener was rained out, baseball returned to the ballparks of Florida and Arizona on Friday with the first spring training games.

The World Series champion Boston Red Sox began their hoped-for journey to a second straight title with a 6-0 victory over Northeastern University. The Phillies -- still without Bryce Harper, at least for now -- beat Tampa Bay 3-2. The Tigers topped Southeastern University of Florida 12-2. Suzuki started what may be his final spring training with a two-run, two-out single in the third inning of the Seattle Mariners' 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics.

"It's a good start to spring training," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after dispatching the Huskies in the regularly scheduled seven innings in a tight 1 hour, 45 minutes, a day before the Grapefruit League opener against the New York Yankees. "It will be good to start playing" against major league teams.

Spring training has long been seen as the unofficial end to winter, but that was postponed when the Mariners and Athletics were rained out of their opener on Thursday. The teams, which got the early start in order to prepare for the regular season opener in Japan -- were back at it on Friday.

Ichiro prepared with Mariners for his 19th major league season (to go with nine in the Japan). Batting seventh and playing left field, Suzuki fouled out in the second inning against Liam Hendriks and singled in the third off left-hander Ryan Buchter. Suzuki then was replaced by a pinch runner. He did not have any chances in the field.

"Of course you have nerves, but this was one I hadn't experienced before, the nerves that I had today," Suzuki said through an interpreter. "I'm just glad the first day's out of the way."

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