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PHOENIX (Ticker) -- No closer necessary. The Arizona Diamondbacks forced a decisive Game Seven in the World Series with a 15-2 dismantling of the New York Yankees as Randy Johnson allowed two runs in seven innings and Danny Bautista drove in five runs. Arizona scored 15 times over the opening four innings, and that was plenty for Johnson (2-0), who surrendered six hits and two walks. He struck out seven as the Diamondbacks rebounded from three devastating losses in New York -- the final two coming when closer Byung-Hyun Kim failed to protect two-run leads in the ninth inning. But Arizona settled matters early and established a World Series record with 22 hits. The Diamondbacks also scored eight runs in the third, the most in a World Series inning since the Detroit Tigers scored 10 in the third inning of Game Six in 1968. "This game was made easy for me about the third or fourth inning," said Johnson, who improved to 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA this postseason. "I suppose it is difficult to go out there and stay focused when you have that many runs, but it's not that difficult to stay focused when you are in a World Series and you are playing the New York Yankees." "I think he pitched tremendously tonight," Arizona manager Bob Brenly added. "It is not always easy to pitch with a big lead." Bautista had singles in each of the first three innings before leaving for a pinch hitter in the sixth. The five RBI were one shy of former Yankee Bobby Richardson's record, set against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game Three of the 1960 World Series. "You've got to come to the park ready to play," Bautista said. "You've got to have that mentality that nothing can surprise you. If you come ready, then you will be fine." "We are capable of (breaking out) on any given night," Brenly added. "I was just grateful for the way the guys swung the bats tonight. Everybody was aggressive." Game Seven figures to be a classic, with the Yankees sending future Hall of Famer and five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens to the mound. The Diamondbacks counter with 22-game winner Curt Schilling, who has allowed two runs and six hits in 14 innings in two starts in the Series. "Unless something happens between now and tomorrow, Curt Schilling is starting the ballgame," Brenly said. It marks the first time 20-game winners have met in Game Seven since 1985, when Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen beat St. Louis' John Tudor. The home team has captured Game Seven just 15 of 32 times but has taken each of the last five. The last team to win Game Seven on the road was the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates at Baltimore. The host has won each of the first six games for the first time since 1991. Arizona has outscored New York, 28-3, in three games at Bank One Ballpark. "Those games in New York were very disappointing for us as a ballclub," Diamondbacks right fielder Reggie Sanders said. "We have forgotten about it and moved on. Tonight was a great night for us." "Our team has a lot of confidence," Arizona left fielder Luis Gonzalez added. "The last two games left us scratching our heads. We feel like we had those games won. We feel we have the upper hand because we are playing in our backyard." The loss was just the fourth in 23 World Series games for the Yankees, who are trying to become the third team to win four straight titles. But the 15 runs were the most allowed by New York in a World Series game, and by the middle innings, Yankees manager Joe Torre had pulled a number of his starters. "Nobody likes to get beat up the way we did tonight," Torre said. "The saving grace is that it is just one game." "We knew they could hit, certainly it is contagious," Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams added. "I don't know what happened, but games like that happen. It is very unfortunate for us that it happened at this time of the year." The Diamondbacks broke on top from the start, scoring in the opening inning on a double into the right-field corner by Tony Womack and a single up the middle by Bautista. After New York starter Andy Pettitte (0-2) worked out of that jam, he surrendered a leadoff single to Matt Williams in the second. Sanders followed with a double, but the slow-footed Williams stopped at third. In his first start of the Series, Jay Bell grounded to third and Damian Miller was intentionally walked to load the bases. Johnson bounced to third, but Scott Brosius -- who failed to turn a double play in Pettitte's last start -- did it again, getting only a forceout at the plate. Pettitte fell behind Tony Womack 3-0 but battled back before the leadoff hitter singled to center field to score Sanders and Miller. Bautista lined a base hit to left-center for a 4-0 lead. New York had a chance to get back in the game in the third as Pettitte singled with one out and Chuck Knoblauch walked. Derek Jeter bounced into a forceout, but Bernie Williams walked to load the bases. Representing the tying run, Jorge Posada struck out on four pitches. The Diamondbacks ended Pettitte's night in the third as Greg Colbrunn worked out a walk and Matt Williams doubled. Little-used Jay Witasick came on for Pettitte and imploded. Sanders and Bell plated runs with singles and Johnson made it 7-0 with a base hit through a drawn-in infield. After Womack struck out, Bautista singled up the middle for a nine-run cushion. Gonzalez and Matt Williams doubled in runs around an RBI single by Colbrunn. Despite his reputation as a clutch pitcher, Pettitte has failed to survive the fourth inning in three of eight World Series starts. The veteran lefthander allowed six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings, his shortest postseason outing in 24 starts. "I didn't, obviously, feel as sharp as I was in the first game," Pettitte said. "My breaking stuff was a little flat." "It looked like his breaking ball was rolling," Torre added. "He did not look like he had as good command he had the last time out. It was just one of those things." Witasick's outing was among the worst in World Series history. In his first appearance in the Series, the righthander was torched for nine runs and 10 hits in 1 1/3 innings. "A lot of my ineffectiveness tonight was directly related to the fact I couldn't go to my breaking ball," Witasick said. "I didn't have any quality location with it and left a lot of breaking balls up. Those pitches get hit, especially with the lineup they have." The previous record for hits in a World Series game was 20, accomplished most recently by the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals in Game Four. "You always get a better feel for a guy when you see him the second time around," Womack said. "We just kind of took it and ran with it." "They were hitting bullets all over the field," Jeter said. "They swung the bats today and the bottom line is they came ready. They had some quality at-bats." |
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