| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Texas Rangers know they won't be making
another postseason trip to Yankee Stadium, so they played this game
with October intensity.
Rafael Palmeiro hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning
after Tim Crabtree got out of a bases-loaded jam to give the Texas
Rangers a 5-4 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday
night.
"That was pretty much our playoffs there," Crabtree said. "In
that situation, with the game on the line and the crowd really
excited, it really had a playoff atmosphere."
The Rangers, who had been swept out of the first round the past
two seasons by the Yankees, are in last place in the AL West and
will likely be sitting at home when the playoffs start.
Injuries, poor pitching and an offense that hasn't been as
explosive as in recent years have given Texas as many losses this
year as they had in all of 1999.
"A lot of things have gone wrong this year," Crabtree said.
"This was a reflection of what went right last year. Rick
(Helling) pitched strong, the bullpen shut them down and Raffy got
the big hit."
The Rangers wasted a 4-0 lead and appeared to be on the way to
their 32nd loss in 40 games at Yankee Stadium when New York loaded
the bases with two outs in the seventh.
Crabtree (2-6) relieved Helling and fell behind Derek Jeter 3-1
before striking him out on a high fastball. Crabtree pumped his
fist as he left the mound, having retired Jeter for only the fourth
time in 12 career at-bats.
"That wasn't really the matchup I wanted," Texas manager
Johnny Oates said. "Jeter has had some success against Crabtree."
Palmeiro, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, then put them back
ahead leading off the eighth.
On a 2-0 pitch from Denny Neagle (3-4), Palmeiro hit a high fly
to right field that drifted about three rows into the stands. It
was Palmeiro's 32nd homer of the season and 393rd of his career.
"I got behind and I just threw the ball over the plate,"
Neagle said.
Helling took advantage early of a Yankees' lineup missing Bernie
Williams and David Justice, out with minor injuries. The
right-hander retired 17 straight batters after Luis Polonia led off
the first with a double.
With two outs in the sixth, Polonia homered to right field, his
first since joining the Yankees on Aug. 3, to make it 4-1. After
Jeter walked, O'Neill lined his 15th homer into the right-field
seats to cut Texas' lead to one.
"I pitched as well as I have all season for 5 2/3 innings,"
said Helling, who gave up four runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
"Then I made a couple of mistakes."
Tino Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Sojo's double in the
seventh to tie the game. But Crabtree kept it that way.
"The pitch was up a little bit," Jeter said. "He throws a
hard sinker and I was trying to protect the plate."
Mike Venafro pitched a scoreless eighth and John Wetteland went
the ninth for his 27th save in 35 chances as Texas won for just the
13th time in 53 games against the Yankees.
Neagle, who hadn't allowed a first-inning run since June 21 when
he was still with Cincinnati, was touched for four in the first
against Texas. Luis Alicea led off with a double and went to third
on Rusty Greer's single to left.
One out later, Palmeiro lined an RBI single that got by Clay
Bellinger -- making his fourth career start in center -- for a
two-base error allowing Greer to score and Palmeiro to reach third.
Gabe Kapler added an RBI double, and former Yankee Ricky Ledee
had an RBI single to make it 4-0.
Neagle settled down after that, giving up only two hits until
Palmeiro's homer in the eighth. Neagle, who has lost four of five
starts, gave up five runs and eight hits in seven-plus innings.
"From the second through seventh inning that was me," Neagle
said. "I had a good rhythm going and threw strikes. Then I made
one bad pitch to Palmeiro and that was it."
Game notes
Jorge Posada was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. ... Kapler,
who went 2-for-4, had been in a 4-for-21 slump since his 28-game
hitting streak ended last Wednesday. ... Yankees pitching coach Mel
Stottlemyre returned from cancer treatment to join the team. 3B
coach Willie Randolph missed the game with a broken rib. Chris
Chambliss coached third in his place. ... Williams missed his
fourth straight game since feeling a twinge in his rib cage
Saturday. Justice missed his second straight game with a sore neck.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Texas Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Knoblauch likely won't return to Yankees lineup till September
Strawberry lost kidney during cancer surgery
RECAPS
Anaheim 11
Boston 4
Cleveland 14
Oakland 6
Seattle 8
Detroit 4
Texas 5
NY Yankees 4
Toronto 7
Kansas City 5
Tampa Bay 3
Minnesota 2
San Diego 16
NY Mets 1
Philadelphia 5
Cincinnati 4
Houston 10
Chicago Cubs 7
Pittsburgh 6
St. Louis 2
Colorado 7
Atlanta 6
Milwaukee 4
Arizona 3
Los Angeles 14
Montreal 6
Florida 7
San Francisco 5
|