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Crede's walk-off single leads White Sox past Yankees

Apr 25, 2008 - 5:52 AM By Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago White Sox are starting to call Joe Crede "Joe Cool" because of his reputation for delivering in the clutch.

Crede continued to build on his reputation with a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Carlos Quentin led off the ninth with a double to left field off Joba Chamberlain (1-1). Crede then laced a 1-2 slider from Chamberlain into center field and Quentin scored well ahead of the throw from Melky Cabrera.

"Joe Crede is always great in the clutch and he always makes something happen," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

"I think the biggest thing is being able to control your emotions out there when you know the crowd is getting into it," Crede said. "Especially when there's a guy in scoring position and you have a a chance with a base hit to win it. You just go up there and try not to do too much."

Closer Bobby Jenks (1-0) got the White Sox out of a first-and-second jam in the top of the ninth to get the win in a game that was twice delayed by rain.

"We definitely wanted to get this game here tonight," Crede said. "We wanted to come away with a win up against these guys. They're a great ballclub. They're going to be great all year."

It was just the second run allowed by the hard-throwing Chamberlain in 9 1/3 innings this season.

"He's human, it's going to happen," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Sometimes expectations are really high and that is going to happen."

The White Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a five-run fourth-inning outburst against reliever Ross Ohlendorf, who replaced Yankees starter Phil Hughes after a 51-minute rain delay. Hughes allowed one hit in two innings.

"The rain delay was just too long," Girardi said. "It stinks, because (Hughes) was throwing well. But what are you going to do? You can't fight it."

Guillen said he considered pulling Floyd.

"I thought about taking Floyd out and I told him, 'Don't be a hero tonight. I don't want to get blamed if something happens to you.' "But I believed in him and he went back out there."

Cabrera started New York's comeback with a two-run homer off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, and Morgan Ensberg tied the game with an RBI single off Matt Thornton in the seventh.

Ensberg started his third straight game in place of Alex Rodriguez, who returned from Miami on Thursday. Rodriguez was with his wife, who gave birth to the couple's second child on Monday. He also is recovering from a strained right quadriceps.

After the game was delayed 34 minutes at the start by heavy rains, the Yankees wasted little time taking control. New York jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on the strength of a sacrifice fly from Derek Jeter and a two-run double from Bobby Abreu.

However, after the second rain delay the White Sox seemed energized and took the lead with the five-run fourth inning.

Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye had RBI singles and A.J. Pierzynski's run-scoring double to right tied the score at 3-3. The White Sox took the lead when Quentin hit a ground ball to Ensberg, who could not throw out Dye at the plate.

Alexei Ramirez capped the huge frame with an RBI double to right field that was out of the reach of a sliding Abreu.

Dye left the game in the sixth with a strained left groin.

Floyd allowed five runs and five hits in six innings with four walks and four strikeouts.