By JOHN DELCOS
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

TORONTO - Reality has a way of tarnishing the brightest of moments, of sneaking into a magical moment and turning it to dust.

Roger Clemens took a step closer to 300 victories and Hideki Matsui captivated his nation further with his first major league swing, but it mattered little to the New York Yankees, who, on Opening Day - when hopes are their highest, lost five-time All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter indefinitely with a dislocated left shoulder.

Clemens was on and Robin Ventura and Alfonso Soriano homered, but the Yankees would gladly have traded it all, and Monday night's 8-4 mauling of the Toronto Blue Jays, to not have Jeter sprawled in the dirt for 12 agonizing minutes before being carted off the field and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital.

It was not the sight some three million Cablevision viewers wanted to see in tuning into the YES Network for the first time.

Ironically, Jeter was injured on a signature play, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by going from first to third on an infield grounder. It was the type of play from a player who gives 110 percent, who has not lost his focus.

Jeter walked with one out in the third, and took off for second on a ball hit back to the mound by Jason Giambi. As Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay went to first, Jeter, seeing third base unprotected because of the shift, never slowed and took off.

It was a race to the bag with catcher Ken Huckaby, who leaped to catch first baseman Carlos Delgado's throw, and came down hard with his left knee on Jeter's left shoulder as Jeter made a headfirst slide.

Third base umpire Paul Emmel originally called Jeter safe, but reversed the call when Huckaby made the tag as Jeter rolled away from the bag.

Yankees trainers Gene Monahan and Steve Donahue, with help from Blue Jays team physicians Dr. Ron Taylor - the former Mets pitcher who is a friend of Yankees manager Joe Torre - and Dr. Erin Boynton popped the shoulder back into its socket.

Jeter was taken for X-rays and a club spokesman said more of his condition would be known Tuesday.

Assuming the best-case scenario, Enrique Wilson will take over for a couple of weeks. The worst-case scenario would entail a lengthy injury that would force the Yankees into the trade market, where shopping options are slim this time of year because rosters are set.

However, an intriguing possibility is Cincinnati's Barry Larkin, who'll be phased out by youngster Felipe Lopez. He won't come cheaply, but it could provide the opening to trade Sterling Hitchcock.

The Yankees have always handled adversity, and have been without Jeter before, but not for more than the usual two weeks on the disabled list.

Brian Cashman will say it is his job to supply players and the player's job to pick up for Jeter.

In that regard, Clemens gave up three hits and one walk with five strikeouts in six scoreless innings to win his 294th career game, Ventura hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Soriano hit his first career grand slam in the sixth to give the Yankees a breather in a game in which a punch in the gut had taken their breath away.

Prior to the game, Matsui was asked what he would consider a perfect night, and he responded, "to make sure I do what I can do," which is to say to stay within himself and not make too much of the moment.

That's what Matsui did all spring, and again in the first inning when he ripped the first pitch thrown him by Halladay into left for a run-scoring single.

The runner who scored was Jeter, and nobody knows when he'll score another.