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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- With every fortunate bounce and bloop, every move and counter-move, the New York Yankees are slowly moving past the Boston Red Sox in the AL Championship Series and into the record book alongside Murderer's Row.
|  | | Paul O'Neill's single scored Chuck Knoblauch for a 3-2 lead in the seventh. |
Chuck Knoblauch hit a game-tying double in the seventh inning and scored the go-ahead run on Paul O'Neill's single, and Joe Torre won a war of managerial moves as New York won 3-2 Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 playoff for a spot in the World Series.
"It was ridiculous. It was nerve-wracking," Tino Martinez said after a top of the eighth that spun through four pitchers, three pinch-hitters and two pinch-runners. "Joe kept trying to get the matchups he wanted."
With their 12th consecutive postseason victory, the World Series champions tied the record set by the Yankees of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig who swept the World Series in 1927, '28 and '32.
"It is phenomenal. Obviously, you don't think about a streak that you're on. You just think about the game that you're playing and managing," Torre said. "You can't say it's hard to believe because it's happened, but it is -- it's hard to believe. I can't think of anything else to say."
A large part of the victory was due to Ramiro Mendoza, who escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth without allowing a run.
"I love Ramiro Mendoza," Torre said. "He is not going to pitch a tougher situation than tonight."
David Cone rewarded all those fans wearing Coneheads on a chilly night with his best performance since his perfect game against
Montreal on July 18, helping send Boston to its 10th consecutive
ALCS loss.
"They're a resilient team," Cone said. "I was in trouble all
night. We caught some breaks."
Boston outhit New York 10-7, but not when it counted, going
1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox stranded 13
runners and twice had fly balls fall inches short of home runs, balls that bounced high off the wall for doubles by Jason Varitek in the fourth and Troy O'Leary in the eighth.
"Those balls go out and we're up one run," said Damon Buford, who ended the game by striking out against Mariano Rivera with
runners at the corners.
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GAME 2 AT A GLANCE
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Every game a hero
David Cone battled a chilly night and a feisty Red Sox lineup just long enough for the Yankees' bats to come alive for a two-run rally in the seventh inning. Cone earned the victory in Game 2, striking out nine and scattering seven hits over seven innings.
Key number
12 and 10. The Yankees tied the 1927, '28 and '32 Yankees by registering their 12th consecutive postseason victory, while the Red Sox dropped their 10th straight decision in the ALCS.
Last word
"I was just trying to hit the ball, put the ball in play. It looks great in the paper, but I didn't hit it
hard."
-- Paul O'Neill, on his game-winning single in the seventh inning
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Now the series moves north to Fenway Park, where it resumes
Saturday with an exciting pitching matchup. Former Red Sox star Roger Clemens starts for New York against Pedro Martinez, the best pitcher in the game these days.
"We're going back home now -- and the right-field wall is a
little shorter," said Lou Merloni, one of the players Boston manager Jimy Williams sent up like so many actors trying out for a
part.
Pitching for the first time since Oct. 2, Cone struck out nine
in seven innings, making just one major mistake, a two-run homer to Nomar Garciaparra in the fifth that overcame Tino Martinez's solo
homer an inning earlier off Ramon Martinez, Pedro's older brother.
New York's bullpen survived the high-drama eighth, which opened
when O'Leary connected on Mike Stanton's third pitch for a double off the wall in right-center -- just inches short of a game-tying
homer.
"You have to feel lucky when balls hit the top of the wall and
stay in," Cone said.
Then came the moves, a fascinating display that rarely occurs
during the regular season when the stakes are lower.
"That's the stuff, you sit home and watch a game and say, 'Do
this, do this, do this,"' Torre said
"You make the moves. Hopefully, they work out," Williams said.
Jeff Nelson hit Mike Stanley on the right wrist, with Buford
coming in to pinch run. Varitek sacrificed the runners over, and Allen Watson relieved with a 1-0 count on pinch-hitter Scott
Hatteberg.
Boston countered by having Merloni hit for Hatteberg, and the
Yankees intentionally walked him, loading the bases.
Butch Huskey then hit for Trot Nixon. Mendoza came in, with
Donnie Sadler -- the last available non-pitcher on Boston's bench -- running at first for Merloni.
Huskey struck out on a 1-2 pitch and Jose Offerman lofted an easy fly to center. Huskey had been 0-for-2 against Mendoza in his
career and Offerman 3-for-10.
"I was put in a great situation to succeed and I didn't succeed," Huskey said. "I chalk this one up to him. He got me this time. I'll get him next time."
Rivera, who won Wednesday's opener with two innings of one-hit
relief, got two quick outs in the ninth but Garciaparra singled and
went to third on O'Leary's bloop single. Rivera then fanned Buford
on a 2-2 pitch to end it.
"It's a tough game," Buford said. "You go up there. You try
to see a ball you can hit and try to hit a ball fair. That's all
you can do."
With the game-time temperature just 53 degrees on a breezy
night, Pedro wore a stocking cap as he watched from Boston's
dugout, and Ramon looked much like his brother, allowing just one
run and four hits in the first six innings.
He walked Ricky Ledee leading off the seventh, Scott Brosius
sacrificed and, one out later, Knoblauch hit the tying double to
left on Martinez's 120th pitch -- 22 more than he threw in any
regular-season start this year following his return from a 15-month
layoff caused by reconstructive shoulder surgery.
Tom Gordon walked Derek Jeter, Knoblauch stole third and
O'Neill, playing with a fractured rib, delivered the go-ahead hit.
"Looks great in the paper, but I didn't hit it hard," O'Neill
said. "Today I felt really good. So much has been blown out of
proportion on this (rib) thing."
Game notes
Roger Clemens, the Yankees' Game 3 starter, didn't stay for Thursday's game and went ahead to Boston. ... Cone got four called
strikeouts from plate umpire Dan Morrison. ... Cone matched his
postseason strikeout high, set in Game 5 of the 1995 first-round
series against Seattle. ... X-rays on Stanley were negative. ...
Tino Martinez was 2-for-16 in the postseason before the homer. ...
Cone gave up the homer to Garciaparra with first base open and
O'Leary on deck. O'Leary had struck out in his first two at-bats,
making him 2-for-22 against Cone in his career.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Yankees vs. Red Sox series page
In the middle of Game 2, a chess match broke out
Ramon's best not enough to beat Yankees
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 David Cone talks about winning Game 2.
wav: 81 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Joe Torre says David Cone was sensational in Game 2.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chuck Knoblauch says David Cone is tough on hitters.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
A.L.C.S Game 2 breakdown with Peter Gammons and Jimmy Roberts
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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