| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Orlando Hernandez and the New York Yankees showed the young Oakland Athletics how postseason baseball is played.
|
GAME 3 AT A GLANCE
|
|
Every game a hero
This is getting to be old hat for Orlando Hernandez. Start a playoff game. Win a playoff game. El Duque has now started six postseason games in his career and has won all of them. And though he didn't have his best stuff, Hernandez gutted out seven solid innings before giving way to Mariano Rivera, who finished up with two hitless innings to pick up his record-tying 15th postseason save.
Key play
With no outs and Luis Sojo on first base in the bottom of the fourth, Scott Brosius bunted a ball out in front of the plate that A's catcher Ramon Hernandez fielded and fired to second in an attempt to get Sojo. Hernandez, however, threw wildly into center field and Sojo went to third. He eventually scored the Yankees' third run and essentially put the game out of reach.
|
Hernandez, pitching without his best stuff, won his sixth
straight postseason decision, and the Yankees capitalized on
Oakland's shoddy defense to win 4-2 Friday night and take a 2-1
lead in their AL division series.
"This is what we strive for," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We've been here before and had success and we like the taste of winning."
Written off by many after losing the opener in the best-of-five
series at Oakland -- their eighth straight loss dating to the
regular season -- the two-time defending World Series champions will
send Roger Clemens (13-8) to the mound in Game 4 Saturday night against rookie Barry Zito (7-4).
"We've been a lot crisper ballclub since the postseason
started," Torre said. "Hopefully we are on our way to doing
something special this year."
Hernandez battled through seven tough innings -- with help from
his defense -- before turning the game over to closer Mariano
Rivera, who saved New York's 10th straight postseason win at Yankee
Stadium.
Rivera tied Dennis Eckersley's record of 15 postseason saves.
El Duque allowed two runs, four hits and five walks, needing 130
pitches to do it. The Cuban defector had a sub-.500 regular season,
but improved to 6-0 with a 1.24 ERA in seven career postseason starts.
Hernandez's half-brother, Livan, beat the New York Mets on
Wednesday for San Francisco to go to 5-0 in the postseason.
"For the first five innings my control was terrible and my team
was encouraging me," Hernandez said through a translator. "After
the fifth inning Mr. Torre pulled me aside and said stop battling
yourself and pitch your game."
The Yankees couldn't mount much offensively against Tim Hudson,
but took advantage of two errors, a couple of defensive lapses and two infield choppers to score their runs.
"We just didn't execute tonight. It was as simple as that,"
Oakland manager Art Howe said. "We didn't make the plays we can
make."
The A's, who have eight players who are 25-years old or younger,
insisted that they wouldn't be spooked by playing at Yankee
Stadium. But their play in the field indicated otherwise.
"We knew we were coming home to our crowd, and our crowd could be very overwhelming to the opposing team," New York's David Justice said. "I don't think they're afraid. I think they just made a couple of misplays that we took advantage of."
Bernie Williams led off the second inning with a double for New York and Paul O'Neill chopped a one-out infield single over Hudson's head for his first hit of the series.
Glenallen Hill then hit a chopper that Hudson was able to field. But the 25-year-old right-hander threw home with no chance to catch the speedy Williams. Giving up the easy out at first ended up
costing Hudson when Derek Jeter hit a two-out infield single that shortstop Miguel Tejada couldn't backhand cleanly to give New York
a 2-1 lead.
"When they had their chances, we gave them opportunities,"
Hudson said.
|  | | Orlando Hernandez limited the A's to two runs on four hits in his seven gutty innings of work. |
New York added another run in the fourth with help from a bad
decision in the field by Oakland. With Luis Sojo on first and no outs, Scott Brosius bunted in front of the plate. Catcher Ramon
Hernandez, 24, went for the tough play at second, but his high
throw hit off Tejada's glove, sending Sojo to third on the error.
Jeter gave New York a 3-1 lead with an RBI forceout.
"The biggest part is the mental mistakes," Hernandez said. "That's how you learn. This is our first playoff. Maybe we tried to do too much."
Sojo added a run-scoring single with two outs in the eighth, his
fourth RBI of the series. A's center fielder Terrence Long slipped
after fielding the ball, and was helped off the field.
Hernandez did the rest for the Yankees, proving once again that he is New York's October ace.
He spent much of the game fidgeting on the mound, tugging at his
hat and jersey, as he struggled to get the ball down in the strike
zone. He induced only two infield groundouts before getting double
plays to end the fifth and seventh innings.
"I thought he straightened himself out in the sixth inning,"
Torre said. "He felt so badly about how he pitched in the first
five. I sensed he was very frustrated. I think the sixth perked him
up a little bit."
He was helped by sterling defensive plays by Justice in left
field and Sojo at second base.
With a runner on first and one out in the fourth, Jeremy Giambi
hit a drive to the wall in left-center. Justice tracked it down,
crashing into the wall as he made the running catch. Hernandez
pointed out to Justice to acknowledge the play.
Sojo is starting at second because he is steadier defensively than Chuck Knoblauch. But Sojo made two defensive miscues in the first two games -- including tripping over his own shoelaces in embarrassing fashion in Game 2.
He was solid this game, making a nice turn on Eric Chavez's
double-play grounder in the fifth, and lunged to smother Long's
grounder and start a double play in the seventh. Sojo pumped his
fist and the normally stoic Yankees ran joyfully off the field.
"(Torre) gives me the confidence to play defense and I don't
want to let him down," Sojo said.
Jeremy Giambi gave Oakland a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the second. The Athletics' other run came on Long's solo
homer in the fifth -- the first home run by either team in the series.
Hudson allowed four runs -- three earned -- and six hits in eight
innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Game notes
Oakland's No. 2-7 hitters went 0-for-19. ... The Yankees
have gone six games and 53 innings without a home run, since Hill
homered at Tampa Bay on Sept. 28. ... Long suffered a deep bruise on his knee but
expects to play Saturday. "There's no way I'm not playing tomorrow," he said.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Stark: The Big, Bad Yankees
RECAPS
Seattle 2
Chi. White Sox 1
NY Yankees 4
Oakland 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Yankees/A's postgame news conference.
RealVideo: | 28.8
David Justice talks with ESPN's Ann Werner.
avi: 568k k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Orlando Hernandez thinks his team has put itself in a good position.
wav: 103 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Art Howe feels his team had its chances to win.
wav: 96 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Tim Hudson feels he pitched a good game.
wav: 106 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
