BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) _ Jason Kendall went 1-for-2 and scored two runs in his return from a dislocated right ankle as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees 12-4 in an exhibition game Saturday.

Kendall, who injured himself July 4, caught three innings, grounded out to third base in the first inning, flared an RBI single to right field in the second and was hit in the upper left arm by a pitch in the third.

``Everything was fine,'' Kendall said. ``It was good to put the uniform back on and do the thing that was taken away from me for the last three months of last season.

``My ankle felt great, and I don't think there should be any more questions about it. I feel fine and the ankle is not an issue,'' Kendall said. ``I proved today that I can do everything I need to do on a baseball field.''

Chad Hermansen had two of the Pirates' 13 hits and four RBIs. Derek Jeter and Shane Spencer each had two hits for the Yankees.

Francisco Cordova pitched two scoreless innings for the win. He allowed two hits and walked one.

Mike Grace was hammered for five runs and eight hits in two innings and took the loss. He walked one and struck out one. Orlando Hernandez missed a start because of stiffness in his lower back.