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BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Tim Hudson may be unbeatable in the regular season. But tonight, the Kings of October got the better of him. Orlando Hernandez and Mariano Rivera combined on a four-hitter and Derek Jeter drove in a pair of runs as the two-time defending world champion New York Yankees posted a 4-2 triumph over the Oakland Athletics in the pivotal third game of their American League Division Series. The Yankees, who dropped the series opener Tuesday but bounced back with a 4-0 win Wednesday, can advance to the League Championship Series with a win Saturday. New York, which finished with the worst record of any of the eight postseason teams, would have home-field advantage over the Seattle Mariners, who closed out the Chicago White Sox this afternoon. Hudson entered his first postseason start with a 31-8 mark in his two-year career. He was matched up against the 30-year-old Hernandez (1-0), who scattered three singles and a homer before giving way to Rivera to start the eighth. Rivera tossed a perfect eighth and got the first two batters in the ninth before Ben Grieve reached on an error by Tino Martinez at first base. He then got Jeremy Giambi on a slow roller to Martinez to finalize his 15th postseason save. After a lackluster 12-13 record in the regular season, Hernandez improved to 6-0 with a 1.24 ERA all-time in the postseason. "El Duque" has surrendered just 26 hits in 51 playoff innings and is the first pitcher to win six straight postseason decisions since Orel Hershiser won seven in a row from 1985-1995. "For the first five innings my control was terrible," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "My team was encouraging me pretty much and I could hear all the guys. After the fifth inning, (manager Joe) Torre pulled me aside and told me to stop battling myself, to just pitch my game and in the next two innings I was able to do my job and pitch well, pitch better." "He battled," A's manager Art Howe said. "He didn't have the command he normally has but he made the pitches when he had to. ... He did the job." Rivera extended his postseason scoreless innings streak to 29 and has not allowed a run in his last 20 appearances, dating to Sandy Alomar's homer for Cleveland in Game Five of the 1997 Division Series. It is the longest postseason streak by a reliever and the longest by any pitcher since Yankees great Whitey Ford had 33 scoreless innings from 1960-1962. "I don't think about that," Rivera said of the streak. "If I can pitch one inning, it's good. But if the manager wants me to pitch more, I have to go out there and do the job. I felt strong. ... I just have to go out there and do my job. I felt real good tonight." Torre was asked about the playoff success of the duo. "I really don't know, other than how this is what we strive for," he said. "I can't think of anything magical other that they have been here before. They have had success and they like the taste of winning." The 25-year-old Hudson (0-1) pitched well, allowing four runs --three earned -- and six hits in eight innings. He pitched the first complete game of the 2000 postseason but was done in by his own poor decision in the second and some shoddy defense by his infield in the fourth. "The kid did everything he could for us. He battled but he just couldn't break through," Howe added. "I felt pretty good out there," Hudson said. "They are just a good ballclub. They played better than us and that's the bottom line." The A's broke through against Hernandez in the second inning on walks to Miguel Tejada and Grieve and a single to right field by Jeremy Giambi. Right fielder Paul O'Neill appeared to have a play at the plate on Tejada but his throw was up the third base line. New York immediately responded in the bottom of the frame. Bernie Williams lined a double into the left-center field gap before Martinez struck out. O'Neill, mired in a slump for the better part of three weeks, squibbed a ball past the mound to put runners at the corners. Glenallen Hill followed with a chopper to the mound but Hudson fired home despite having no chance to get Williams. After Luis Sojo flied out, Scott Brosius walked and Jeter grounded a single into the hole between shortstop and third for a 2-1 lead. "It was a bad choice on my part," Hudson conceded. "You can't do anything about it now. Even if I would have tried to get the out at first it probably would have been a close play. "When they had their chances, when we gave them opportunities, they took advantage. That's what they do. They are the world champions, they are a good ballclub." New York pushed its lead to 3-1 in the fourth. Sojo -- again playing in place of a benched Chuck Knoblauch -- led off with a walk. Brosius got down a bunt and catcher Ramon Hernandez's wild throw allowed Sojo to reach third. With runners at the corners, Jeter hit a potential double play grounder but beat a wide throw to first, allowing Sojo to score. "We just didn't execute, it was as simple as that," Howe said. "We had our opportunities, we just didn't make plays that we can make. I don't think it was because the stage we were on. We just didn't play well tonight at times." "You can't say it enough -- pitching and defense wins," Jeter said. "You are not going to see too many games won or lost with home runs in the postseason. With our starters, we are always going to be in games and you've got to try and make as few mistakes as possible and capitalize on the other team's mistakes." Rookie Terrence Long opened the top of the fifth with a line drive home run into to the right field stands but Hernandez stiffened and held Oakland in check until Rivera took over in the eighth. "We should have scored more runs tonight," Grieve said. "'El Duque' was kind of all over the place there for a while and getting himself out of some situations. But he threw well when he had to, so you have to give him some credit." New York added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Sojo's RBI single to center field. Long got his legs crossed on the play and collapsed. Howe said the Rookie of the Year candidate has a deep bruise but might be ready for Game Four.
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