The New York Yankees got out of town without another loss. But they didn't get a victory, either, because their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night was suspended by rain.
Play was suspended after a delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes. It was the second rain stoppage; the first one lasted 18 minutes.
New York were leading 8-6 in the top of the eighth when the game was halted for the last time. Play will be resumed at the point it was stopped when the Yankees return to Camden Yards on July 27.
PHOTO: AP
Derek Jeter singled in the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning just before driving rain halted play. But instead of celebrating the end of their five-game losing streak, the Yankees left for home after a miserable 1-7 road trip.
"It was good to see us come back the way we did. It does a lot for us to leave here on a note like that," New York manager Joe Torre said. "The road trip has been horrible. It is good to come away knowing that the last thing we did was good."
Before 1980, the score would have reverted to the start of the inning, giving the Orioles a 6-4 win. But the rule was changed after a game on Aug. 13, 1978, when Baltimore led 3-0 after six innings and the Yankees scored five runs in the top of the seventh.
Andy Phillips hit his first home run of the season on Thursday night and eight different players scored for New York.
Brian Roberts homered and Kevin Millar had a season-high three hits for the Orioles, who were seeking their first three-game sweep of the Yankees since April 2005.
After Baltimore scored four runs in the rain-interrupted seventh inning to go up 6-4, New York came back. John Parrish walked the first two batters before yielding an RBI double to Melky Cabrera and a run-scoring grounder to Robinson Cano.
Chris Ray came in and retired Phillips on a grounder for the second out, but Johnny Damon beat out an infield hit and stole second to put runners at second and third for Jeter. With the rain intensifying and the grounds crew poised behind the tarp, Jeter lined a two-run single up the middle.
"I have been in situations like that before where you try to play through and get a full inning in," Jeter said.
Jeter, who took second on the throw to the plate, clapped his hands in delight. Seconds later, play was halted. But before the umpire crew could leave the field, they were confronted by Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora and interim manager Dave Trembley, who argued that play should have been stopped earlier.
Before Jeter stepped to the plate, Mora pleaded with third base umpire Tim Tschida to stop the game.
"I just asked him, `You don't think it's too wet?' He started yelling at me and cursed," Mora said. "I said, `This is worse than when you stopped the game when we was winning. Why you don't stop it now? I can't even see the ball.' He just tried to make Jeter hit so they can score one run so they can get out of here. That's what I think," said Mora, who was ejected from the game.
Baltimore trailed 4-2 before scoring four runs in the seventh against Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang. The uprising featured Millar's first triple since April 29, 2005, and a clutch two-run double by Jay Gibbons, who stepped to the plate batting .207.
Nick Markakis led off with a single and scored when Millar's opposite-field liner to right eluded Bobby Abreu and rolled into the corner. One out later, Mora walked, and Gibbons cleared the bases with a double to left-center. Pinch-runner Corey Patterson then stole third and continued home when catcher Jorge Posada's throw soared into left field.
But New York rallied.
"It felt very good to come back," Jeter said.
Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera retired the first eight batters before Phillips homered in the third inning to give the Yankees their first lead of the series. Phillips was making his second start since his recall from the minors on June 20.
Roberts hit a two-run drive in the bottom half, but New York went up 3-2 in the fourth. After Jeter and Hideki Matsui singled and Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly, Daniel Cabrera issued two straight walks to load the bases before Melky Cabrera drove in a run with a grounder.
The Yankees chased Daniel Cabrera and took a 4-2 lead in the seventh. Cano hit a leadoff double and scored on a single by Damon, who was 1-for-15 lifetime against Cabrera before the hit. New York then loaded the bases against Paul Shuey before Rodriguez bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.
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