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(Sports Network) - The New York Yankees will start a season without Joe Torre for the first time since 1995, as they play the final home opener in the current Yankee Stadium this afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays.

After four World Series titles and 12 straight years of reaching the playoffs the Yankees decided to offer Torre an incentive laden contract which he quickly turned down. So, the Yankees handed the managerial reins over to Joe Girardi, who earned Manager of the Year honors in his one year as skipper of the Florida Marlins in 2006.

Last year the Yankees overcame a horrendous start to reach the playoffs for the 13th straight year. However, they entered the playoffs as a wild card, as their string of nine straight division titles was stopped by the eventual world champion Boston Red Sox. Alex Rodriguez was the driving force behind the Yankees' run and picked up his second MVP Award in three seasons.

The Yankees late season success, though, didn't carry over to the postseason, as they were ousted in the ALDS for the third straight season, losing to the Cleveland Indians in four games.

In addition to Torre leaving, the Yankees future seemed murky at the end of the season with the pending free agency of not only Rodriguez, but Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.

Things got even more cloudy once it was announced that A-Rod was opting out of his contract, but that situation was quickly corrected with him signing the richest deal in baseball history. After that, things fell into place as Rivera, Posada and Pettitte all put their names on new contracts with the Yankees.

After a winter-long flirtation with Johan Santana, the Yankees chose not to pull the trigger on a potential trade for the two-time Cy Young Award winner and kept their surplus of talented young arms intact for the upcoming season.

The Yankees' chances this season could very well rest on the young right arms of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, in addition to last year's phenom Joba Chamberlain.

Heading to the hill today for the Yankees will be Taiwanese right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, who was 19-7 last season with a 3.70 ERA. Wang, though, was horrendous in the playoffs, as he gave up 12 runs and 14 hits in 5 2/3 innings in losing both of his starts to the Indians.

Wang is 3-2 lifetime against the Jays with a 4.20 ERA in seven starts.

Of course, this is the final year of the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923 and was renovated from 1974-75. "The House That Ruth Built" will be replaced by a $1.3 billion state-of-the-art ballpark across the street that will also be called Yankee Stadium.

It will be hard to say good-bye to the stadium where the Yankees have won a franchise record 10 straight home-openers.

Toronto, meanwhile, already has the deck stacked against it, playing in the American League East alongside the high-spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Last year, though, the Jays did themselves no favors, as they endured a ton of injuries to key players, but still finished third in the division with an 83-79 mark. However, the Jays' recent stranglehold on third place may not be as secure as it has been since the fast rising Tampa Bay Rays figure to give them a run for their money.

Pitching wise, the Jays appear to be in good shape this year, provided of course that ace Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett stay healthy - something neither was able to do last season. There are also high hopes for Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum.

From an offensive standpoint, the Jays need a big bounce-back year from center fielder Vernon Wells, who struggled last season with a shoulder issue. Scott Rolen was picked up over the winter for Troy Glaus and if his shoulder is right, the Jays could have as good a lineup as anyone in the league.

Injuries, though, have already started to surface, as Rolen will miss at least the first month with a broken finger, while closer B.J. Ryan, who had Tommy John surgery last season, experienced some soreness in the arm in spring training and will also start the year on the DL.

Halladay, who missed time because of an appendectomy last year, heads to the hill today. The former Cy Young Award winner was 16-7 last season with a 3.71 ERA in 31 starts.

In 26 games, 24 of which have been starts, against the Yankees Halladay is 10-4 with a 2.99 ERA.

The Yankees, who have won 10 straight and 15 of their last 16 home openers, won 10 of their 18 matchups with the Jays last season, and are 32-22 against them since the start of the 2005 campaign.

Their home-opener streak is the longest in the majors and the longest in franchise history.