ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ In his first opening-day assignment, Orlando Hernandez was every bit an ace.

El Duque struck out Mo Vaughn three times, Paul O'Neill and Shane Spencer homered and the two-time defending World Series champion New York Yankees started the season with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Angels.

The Yankees were coming off a 13-20 spring training that raised some concern, especially with owner George Steinbrenner. But they began their bid to become the first team to win three straight titles since the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics by winning for the first time in six West Coast openers.

Hernandez (1-0) worked around eight hits. He walked three and struck out four.

Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for a save, giving up his first run since last July 18 on an RBI single by Vaughn. Rivera ended last season with 28 straight scoreless appearances in the regular season, a span of 30 2-3 innings. He has converted 23 consecutive save chances.

Hernandez fanned Vaughn to end three innings _ the first with nobody on, the third with a man on second, and the fifth with the bases loaded. With one runner on in the seventh, Hernandez ended that inning by getting Vaughn to ground out.

The Yankees' right-hander got the Angels' slugger swinging on all three of his strikeouts, using a variety of pitches that ranged from a breaking ball that floated in at 67 mph to a slider in the low 80s.

Hernandez was 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA in four postseason starts last year.

O'Neill, coming off a season in which his home run production dropped to 19 from 24 in 1998, put New York ahead 2-1 with a two-run shot in the sixth off Ken Hill (0-1).

Spencer gave New York a two-run pad when he led off the seventh with a homer off reliever Kent Mercker.

Tim Salmon put the Angels in front with a leadoff homer in the second. He also homered in last year's opener against Cleveland.

After Derek Jeter led off the sixth with a single, just the third hit off Hill, O'Neill hit a 430-foot drive to center.

Notes: Williams, a Gold Glove-winning center fielder, will be used as the DH until his sore right triceps muscle feels better, manager Joe Torre said. "It isn't the type of thing that's going to get worse, but I don't want him in a situation where he is going to have to throw somebody out," Torre said. ... New York seemed to have about the same number of fans in the sellout crowd of 42,704 as the Angels, with the visitors receiving as much applause in the pregame introductions as the home team did. ... Beginning their 40th season, the Angels announced their all-time team as chosen by fans voting on the club's web site. The team included Jim Fregosi as both manager and shortstop; infielders Rod Carew, Bobby Grich and Doug DeCinces; outfielders Brian Downing, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Jackson, with Don Baylor the DH. The starting pitchers were Nolan Ryan, Mike Witt, Frank Tanana and Chuck Finley. Troy Percival, the current Anaheim closer, was voted the relief pitcher. ... Anaheim was one of only three teams to win its season series with the Yankees last year. Boston and Kansas City also did it. ... The Yankees' $92.5 million opening-day payroll was tops in the majors, $4.4 million higher than the No. 2 team, Los Angeles.