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Not done yet Mussina, Rivera make Posada's solo homer hold up
Updated: Sunday October 14, 2001 2:34 AM
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Long before he earned his fame, his fortune and his four World Series rings, Derek Jeter learned to back up the cutoff man. When a difficult situation arose in desperate times for the New York Yankees, Jeter made a spectacular play look routine -- and with a grace bred by years of winning, he preserved the Yankees' dynasty for at least 18 hours. Mike Mussina pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, and Jorge Posada hit a solo homer as the Yankees fought back playoff elimination with a 1-0 victory over Oakland on Saturday night. The A's lead the series, two games to one. But the Yankees' All-Star shortstop secured the victory with a breathtaking relay throw he credited to practice and poise. Afterward, Jeter seemed surprised that anyone was surprised by his work -- or the Yankees' escape from Barry Zito, the third Oakland starter to silence New York's bats in the series. "Everyone thought we were dead, but no one in here thought that," Jeter said. "We feel very confident about our abilities." Using every bit of their champions' savvy, the Yankees won despite getting only two hits. They did it by ending Oakland's 17-game home winning streak and beating Zito, who pitched eight impressive innings.
The three-time defending champs got a gem from Mussina, who left Baltimore to sign with New York in the offseason because he wanted to pitch in important games in October. "I'm sure I'm going to remember it," Mussina said. "We found a way to win, which this team has done on this championship run they've had in the last five years." But the Yankees wouldn't have held on to their one-run lead without Jeter, whose impossibly graceful relay toss to the plate nailed Jeremy Giambi as he reached out to step on home plate in the seventh inning. "He's the backup cutoff man in that situation," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He was there, and he made a sensational play. The kid has got great instincts, and he holds it together." Mariano Rivera pitched the final two innings, working around Jermaine Dye's one-out double in the ninth, for a save. Game 4 is Sunday at the Coliseum, with Cory Lidle (13-6) pitching for Oakland against Orlando Hernandez (4-7). If the Yankees win again, Game 5 will be Monday in New York. Jeter went 0-for-3, but he kept Oakland scoreless in the seventh. With Giambi on first base and two out, Terrence Long lined a double into the right-field corner. While the slow-footed Giambi ran toward home, Shane Spencer overthrew the cutoff man. Out of nowhere came Jeter, who raced across the diamond, grabbed the ball halfway up the first-base line and made a sidearm flip from foul territory to Posada, who scraped the back of Giambi's leg with a tag. A's catcher Ramon Hernandez was signaling Giambi to slide, but he didn't. Jeter said the play was nothing but routine. "That's my job. I did it," Jeter said. "I have to move forward on that play. If I had spun around, I wouldn't have made it." That was the closest Oakland came to the plate. With one swing from Posada, the Yankees finally beat one of Oakland's three young aces. A day earlier, Mussina spoke of his respect for the champions who preceded him in the Yankees' clubhouse. He then went out and mastered the A's, who looked nothing like the free-swinging, freewheeling team that had not lost at home since Aug. 24. With Mussina in control, the A's were shut out at home for the first time since June 2.
Rivera allowed a single to Greg Myers in the eighth, but Miguel Tejada's two-out liner was scooped up by Chuck Knoblauch in one of New York's several fine defensive plays. After Dye doubled, Rivera struck out Eric Chavez and got Giambi on a grounder to end it. Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson pitched excellent games to earn Oakland's two victories in New York. Zito, who beat the Yankees in last season's division series, was just as good, but he wasn't as lucky. Zito hadn't lost at the Coliseum in 13 starts, but his curveball showed little of its usual precipitous drop against the Yankees. He hit two batters, and he made a fateful mistake to Posada. "This is the kind of game both sides expected: low-scoring," A's manager Art Howe said. "Barry made one mistake. He did his job. We just couldn't muster any offense." With deepening twilight shadows at the packed Coliseum, neither team managed a hit until the fourth inning. With one out, Jason Giambi and Dye got back-to-back singles, but Mussina got out of the inning with two groundouts. In the fifth, Posada hit a fly to left that barely reached the yellow line atop the outfield scoreboard. It was the fourth postseason homer of his career - and it shook Zito, who gave up a double to Spencer on his next pitch but escaped the inning. New York finished the inning with a lead for the first time in the last 81 innings against the A's, who swept the Yankees in both of their regular-season series at the Coliseum. Torre's lineup changes didn't have much of an effect on the Yankees, who have scored just four runs in the series. But this time, the A's bats were just as weak. As in the series' first two games, many of Oakland's hardest hits went directly at the Yankees. Johnny Damon led off the sixth with a line drive at third baseman Scott Brosius. One out later, Jason Giambi hit a tailing fly ball down the left-field line. Knoblauch sprinted to the ball, slid and made the catch. Notes: Roger Clemens, who left Game 1 with tightness in his right hamstring, threw in the bullpen for about 10 minutes before the game. ... With 55,861 fans, it was the largest baseball crowd in the Coliseum's history. ... Paul O'Neill and David Justice sat out for New York in favor of Shane Spencer and Randy Velarde. Torre said he hasn't decided who will start on Sunday.
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