• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Hit batsman gives Yankees win over Athletics

Jul 20, 2008 - 12:19 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees spent nearly five hours leaving one runner after another on base. When they escaped with a win, they were able to overlook the futility.

Lenny DiNardo hit Jose Molina with a pitch to force in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Yankees rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon.

The contest took 4 hours, 45 minutes, which was five minutes shorter than Tuesday's All-Star Game that lasted 15 innings. This one featured plenty of hitting as the teams combined for 24 hits.

"We still had a chance to win the game, " New York manager Joe Girardi said. "I think it's more frustrating when you lose, because you look back and look at all the opportunities that you had. But when you win a game, the bottom line is, we won the game."

It also featured plenty of missed opportunities for both teams as they combined to strand 35 and go 5-for-31 with runners in scoring position. The Yankees stranded 21, two shy of their franchise mark for an extra-inning game.

Oakland rallied from a 2-0 deficit and took the lead against Mariano Rivera in the ninth, only to see New York tie it when it was down to its last strike vs. Huston Street.

"It's part of the game," New York rookie Brett Gardner said. "We didn't do a good job with runners on base. We were fortunate that our pitching staff can do what they continue to do, and that's keep us in ballgames. Anytime you can go in extra innings like that, it's such a huge advantage being the home team. It's frustrating that we didn't do better with runners in scoring position, but at the end of the day, big deal, we won."

Eventually, the Yankees produced their first walk-off win by virtue of a hit batsman since July 15, 1965, when Clete Boyer was hit by Washington's Steve Ridzik.

The winning rally started when Jeter singled up the middle off DiNardo (1-1) and moved to second on Bobby Abreu's grounder in front of the plate. DiNardo intentionally walked Alex Rodriguez, who was hitless in five at-bats and struck out three times.

That move backfired as DiNardo also walked Richie Sexson, who entered the game as a pinch hitter for Justin Christian in the 10th and struck out. That left it up to Molina, who came into the game when Jorge Posada bruised his hand.

Molina fell behind in the count, 1-2, but DiNardo's curveball hit him in the right knee and Jeter scored, giving New York its season-high sixth straight home win and seventh victory in 10 games overall.

"That last pitch I threw was just an inch off," DiNardo said. "I was trying to throw a cutter in and make them roll over it. It was just an inch too inside."

"I've never been so happy to see someone get hit," Jeter said. "Any way you can get a win is good."

The Yankees stranded their most runners in a game since leaving 22 on in a 17-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader on July 20, 1998. They set the franchise mark of 23 left on against Boston in the opener of a doubleheader on September 5, 1957.

"It's a tough game," Molina said. "They had good pitching. I think they were leading the league in pitching, and they were pitching us really, really good. To get a win against them and to win the series is nice for us."

Joba Chamberlain allowed one run and six hits in six innings, marking the ninth time in the last 10 games Girardi has seen his starting pitcher allow three runs or fewer. Chamberlain also displayed an explosive fastball, striking out eight in an 96-pitch outing.

The righthander was staked to a 2-1 lead, but his teammates could not get more as they stranded two runners apiece in each of the first six frames. The top four hitters in the lineup were a combined 2-for-18.

Jose Veras lost the lead when his wild pitch in the seventh allowed Wes Bankston to score. Two innings later, Rivera gave up an RBI single to Ryan Sweeney.

But Street blew his fourth save in 21 opportunities when Wilson Betemit lined an 0-2 pitch into left-center field, scoring Robinson Cano. It could have been the winning run, but earlier in the frame, Christian slipped on the basepaths and was caught stealing second while running for former Athletic Jason Giambi, who drew a leadoff walk.

The Yankees stranded two in the ninth and three more before the 12th but still had a chance due to two scoreless innings from Edwar Ramirez and one from David Robertson (1-0), who picked up his first career victory.

New York had a chance to win in the 11th, but right fielder Carlos Gonzalez saved the game with a diving catch on Melky Cabrera's line drive, stranding Cano at second. Cano had four hits, giving him six in the first two games after the All-Star break.

The Yankees scored their first two runs in the second inning, when Betemit delivered an RBI single and scored on Gardner's double. They failed to add more, however, as Jeter, Abreu and Rodriguez struck out swinging against Oakland starter Sean Gallagher.