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Jeter's 3,003rd hit is a game-winner

Jul 10, 2011 - 4:51 AM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Derek Jeter hit a home run in the third inning Saturday to become the 28th player in major league history to reach the 3,000 hit plateau.

Then, the Yankees shortstop won the game.

Jeter finished 5-for-5 with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, a double and a pair of runs scored to lead New York to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.

Jeter became the first player to reach the milestone while wearing Yankees pinstripes and the second player to homer for his 3,000th hit, joining former teammate Wade Boggs, who accomplished the feat in 1999 with Tampa Bay.

"I wasn't sure it was going to be a home run," Jeter said. "I was hoping, but afterwards, to be honest with you, I was pretty relieved."

He became only the second player to record five hits in the game in which he reached 3,000 and first since Craig Biggio in 2007.

With 3,003 hits, Jeter passed Roberto Clemente (3,000) for 27th place on the all-time hits list.

"I think we all thought, 'Wow, he really knows how to do it,'" Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his shortstop's historic feat. "This is a guy who has always been a big-time player in a big moment."

Mark Teixeira chipped in with a pair of hits while Mariano Rivera worked a perfect ninth to earn his 22nd save of the season.

David Robertson (2-0) earned the win, despite giving up the lead in the eighth.

Joel Peralta (2-4) gave up the RBI single to Jeter to absorb the loss for the Rays.

"I have an appreciation for what happened today," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm really proud of our guys for handling a very emotional moment from the other side. I want to believe that a lot of teams would not have performed as well as we did today under the circumstances."

Eduardo Nunez led off the eighth with a double and advanced to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Brett Gardner, setting the stage for Jeter to cap his historic day in style.

Jeter came through, poking a single up the middle to score Nunez and give the Yankees the lead for good at 5-4.

Earlier, despite the pageantry surrounding Jeter's accomplishment -- and after he had singled for hit No. 2,999 in the first inning -- the Rays opened the scoring in the second on Matt Joyce's solo shot to right, his 12th homer of the season.

The Yankees came back to take the lead in the third, starting with Jeter's historic moment.

He ran the count full against Rays starter David Price before fouling off a pitch and followed with a drive over the wall in left-center field to tie the game at 1-1.

As Jeter circled the bases on just his third home run of the season and first at Yankee Stadium in nearly a year, his teammates leaped out of the dugout and met him at home plate for a brief celebration. Longtime teammate Jorge Posada was the first to greet him, followed by Rivera.

Jeter acknowledged the cheering crowd after reaching the dugout.

"If I would have tried to write it and give it to somebody, I wouldn't even have bought it," Jeter said. "It was just one of those special days."

Curtis Granderson then walked and Teixeira singled to left to put runners on first and second. Russell Martin came through with a two-out RBI single to left to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

Tampa reclaimed the lead in the fourth. Ben Zobrist worked a leadoff walk on four pitches and B.J. Upton hit a two-out homer to right field to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.

The Yankees fought back to take the lead again in the fifth. Jeter led off the inning with a double and scored on an RBI single by Granderson to tie the game. Granderson advanced to third on a single by Teixeira and scored on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Cano to give New York a 4-3 lead.

The Rays battled back again to tie the game in the eighth. Johnny Damon led off the inning with a rocket to right center for a triple and scored on a base hit by Zobrist to make it 4-4.

Game Notes

The Yankees are a major league-best 25-5 in day games...Cano had his 11-game hitting streak snapped...Upton's homer in the fourth was his 15th of the year..Yankees starter A.J. Burnett gave up three runs over 5 2/3 innings while Price yielded four runs over five innings of work.