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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) – The New York Yankees had just wasted a four-run
lead when Alfonso Soriano used his speed to quickly made things
right again.
|  | | Alfonso Soriano slides home safely after tagging on a sacrifice fly. The Orioles would argue unsuccessfully that the rookie left the base early. |
Soriano scored the tiebreaking run on a controversial play in
the sixth inning as New York overcame a grand slam by Jeff Conine
to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 Thursday night.
After Conine made it 5-5 in the fifth inning with his fourth
career slam, Soriano went to work in the sixth against Chad Paronto
(1-1).
The rookie second baseman hit a one-out double and stole third
before Joe Oliver hit a liner to left. Soriano tagged up and barely
beat the throw from Brady Anderson, putting New York ahead to stay.
"It gave us a real jump start," the Yankees' Tino Martinez
said. "It was nice to come back and take the lead right after they
came back and tied it up."
The Orioles appealed, saying Soriano left the base too early.
The appeal was denied, and Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove was
ejected by plate umpire Charlie Reliford during the ensuing
argument.
"I disagreed with him then, and I still do," Hargrove said.
"But it's his call."
Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken and shortstop Mike Bordick were
also certain that Soriano left early.
"The one person that needed to see it that way was the umpire,
and he didn't see it that way," Hargrove said.
Soriano has been a wonderful addition to the three-time
defending world champions. He's hitting .302, is tied for the team
lead with eight doubles and ranks second in the AL with 10 steals.
"I am an aggressive player on the bases. If I can help the team
with my legs, that is great," he said.
Asked for his view on the key play, Soriano quickly responded,
"I was sure I left the base on time. I did not leave early."
The Yankees added a run in the seventh, loading the bases
against Paronto before Buddy Groom came in and threw a wild pitch.
Ramiro Mendoza (2-0) pitched 2 2-3 innings of one-hit relief and
Mariano Rivera got five outs for his seventh save in eight chances.
Down 5-1 in the fifth, Baltimore loaded the bases with no outs.
Melvin Mora struck out and Mike Bordick hit a foul popup, but
Conine drove a 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall to tie the game
and chase starter Ted Lilly.
"When he went to 2-2 on Conine, I felt pretty good," Yankees
manager Joe Torre said. "He just left a breaking ball up."
It was the second homer of the season for Conine and his first
grand slam since 1997, when he was with Florida.
"Our guys battled all night long," Hargrove said. "We don't
have anything to be ashamed of. Other than the fact that we lost,
there were some positives that came out of this ball game."
The Orioles got a run in the second on an RBI double by Jerry
Hairston, but New York took the lead in the third. After a leadoff
single by Oliver, Scott Brosius homered on an 0-2 pitch from Chuck
McElroy.
New York made it 3-1 in the fourth when Bernie Williams singled
and scored on an opposite-field double to left by Martinez.
Brosius drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and scored on a two-out
double by Paul O'Neill. Williams followed with an RBI single for a
5-1 lead.
Game notes
Ripken made a third straight start at third base and went
0-for-4, lowering his batting average to .167. ... The Orioles
called up OF Eugene Kingsale from Triple-A Rochester and demoted
RHP Jorge Julio (33.75 ERA in two appearances) to Double-A Bowie.
... Williams was in a 4-for-27 skid before hitting singles in the
fourth and fifth. ... Slumping Yankees include Chuck Knoblauch
(1-for-19), David Justice (4-for-35) and Derek Jeter (1-for-15).
All three went 0-for-4. Knoblauch, however, got his league-leading
12th stolen base.
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RECAPS
Cleveland 9
Kansas City 4
Detroit 9
Texas 4
Oakland 3
Toronto 2
NY Yankees 7
Baltimore 5
Anaheim 3
Chi. White Sox 1
Seattle 10
Boston 3
San Diego 5
Chicago Cubs 3
Philadelphia 7
Colorado 5
Los Angeles 8
Cincinnati 6
St. Louis 0
Florida 0
Arizona 2
Montreal 1
Pittsburgh 4
San Francisco 3
Milwaukee 5
Atlanta 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mike Mussina isn't sure how fans will react upon his return to Baltimore.
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