Jason Giambi Giambi hit a two-run single and Andy Pettitte pitched another strong game as the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 on Thursday to even the best-of-five American League playoff series at a game each.
"I guess I went from zero to hero real quick," Giambi said. "That's the great thing about this game."
PHOTO: AP
After a sloppy loss during the day in Game 1, the Yankees finally put their fans in a frenzy with a three-run seventh inning that snapped a 1-1 tie. Alfonso Soriano hit a go-ahead single off LaTroy Hawkins, and this time it was the Twins who made defensive errors that opened the door.
"Something about a night game here at Yankee Stadium, almost like it just comes alive out there," Pettitte said. "I don't get too emotional, usually don't show too much emotion, but I was pretty emotional out there tonight. ... It was a fun game."
Yankees manager Joe Torre took no chances, bringing in Mariano Rivera to pitch the final two innings for a save.
"When you take Andy Pettitte out with the kind of courage he showed tonight, it would have been tough to replace him with anybody but Rivera. ... I don't think I can trust anybody more than I trust Andy," Torre said.
The victory came on the 25th anniversary of one of the Yankees' most famous wins -- the day Bucky Dent homered at Fenway Park to help beat Boston in a one-game playoff for the AL East title.
This win gave the Yankees the momentum heading into Game 3, but Minnesota has its home-field magic -- the Twins are 13-3 all-time in postseason games at the noisy Metrodome.
"We carried that game deep," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "You don't leave with a good feeling. We won a ballgame here, but sure, we had a good chance again to win here tonight."
Roger Clemens pitches this afternoon for New York in what could be the final start of his Hall of Fame career. Kyle Lohse goes for Minnesota.
Twins starter Brad Radke hit Nick Johnson -- stuck in an 0-for-22 slump -- with a 1-2 pitch leading off the seventh.
Juan Rivera's sacrifice moved Johnson up, and Hawkins, the winner in Game 1, entered to face Soriano. He singled sharply to left for a 2-1 lead -- Soriano's throwing error was one of several defensive miscues by New York on Tuesday.
Derek Jeter followed with a chopper back to Hawkins, who hurriedly threw high off first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz's glove for an error that left runners at second and third.
"I kind of rushed it a little bit. I had more time than I thought I did," Hawkins said. "If he was two inches taller, he would have caught that."
Up came Giambi, who fanned against Hawkins in Game 1 and was booed loudly throughout the first two games.
But he changed that in a New York minute, grounding a hard single up the middle through a drawn-in infield for a 4-1 lead.
A well-rested Rivera came out of the bullpen for his first two-inning postseason save since Game 3 of the 2001 World Series against Arizona.
The October chill -- Soriano went out for batting practice wearing a ski cap -- helped give the game a postseason feel that was missing Tuesday.
Red Sox 1, Athletics 5
Barry Zito struck out nine over seven dominant innings as the Oakland Athletics pushed the bleary-eyed Boston Red Sox to the brink of playoff elimination with a victory in Game 2 of their division series.
The teams took the field for batting practice slightly more than 10 hours after Eric Chavez scored the winning run in the series opener, a 5-4, 12-inning victory for the A's that ended on Ramon Hernandez's daring bases-loaded bunt.
Zito had already been sent home to bed well before Hernandez won it, and the relaxed left-hander pitched Oakland to a 2-0 lead. The Cy Young winner's looping curveball was in top form, and Boston's record-setting offense spent the afternoon flailing at his best stuff.
The A's didn't score again after an impressive second-inning rally, but Zito and relievers Chad Bradford and Keith Foulke easily made it stand up.
"Everybody was here early, even though it was a really tough night," said Hernandez, who had an RBI single in Game 2. "It's the time of year when you don't have to worry about getting tired. We're a young team, and we love it."
Zito allowed five hits and two walks for the A's, who have lost in the first round in each of the past three postseasons. Oakland can advance to its first league championship series since 1992 with one more victory.
Game 3 is today at Fenway Park. Derek Lowe, the losing pitcher in the opener, will start against Ted Lilly.
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