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Tuesday, May 2 7:05pm ET
Pettitte shuts down Indians in 4-2 Yanks win | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Andy Pettitte's heart pounded in his chest, and as he looked around Jacobs Field, there was an Indians player standing at every base and a crowd ready to eat him alive. The moment had arrived for Pettitte to prove he was back -- and he did. Pettitte got his first win of the season by holding Cleveland to one run and three singles in six-plus innings Tuesday night, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Indians. Pettitte (1-1) was making just his third start of the season and second since returning from the disabled list with a strained back muscle. The left-hander didn't give up a hit until the fifth when he wriggled out of a potentially dangerous jam. "I wasn't tight. I got a little uptight," Pettitte said. "I hadn't been out there in a while. I was a little nervous and the emotions really started flying." With the bases full in the fifth, Pettitte showed the poise that's made him one of the AL's premier pitchers the past four years and escaped holding a 3-1 lead. "He was terrific," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "He had good stuff and his stamina was good." Torre has seen Pettitte dominate lineups before, so it was no surprise to him to see the lefty so sharp despite his limited action this season. "He's a quality pitcher," Torre said. "This is Andy Pettitte." Wilson Delgado started at second base for the injured Chuck Knoblauch and got his first two RBI in the AL, and Ricky Ledee homered for the first time this year as the Yankees improved to 31-15 against Cleveland since the start of the 1996 season. Once Pettitte left, New York's bullpen finished the job again. Jeff Nelson pitched two innings and Mariano Rivera, who barely closed out Monday's win, allowed an RBI single to David Justice before getting his league-leading ninth save. Rivera struck out Enrique Wilson with two runners on to end the game. In its last 11 games, New York's bullpen has allowed only six runs in the 34 1-3 innings -- a 1.57 ERA. The Yankees' relievers went 7-0 in April, becoming the first bullpen in history to go undefeated in the month. Bobby Witt (0-1) took the loss, allowing eight hits in four-plus innings. Torre's decision to sit Knoblauch, who has a sprained left hand, gave Delgado a chance to start at second and it put Ledee, who came in batting .170, in the leadoff spot. Delgado's two-run double put the Yankees up 3-0 in the fifth and Ledee hit his first homer since Sept. 27 in the seventh to put the Yankees ahead 4-1. "It was nice to see a smile on his (Ledee's) face," Torre said. "When he came in from that home run he was cheesing from ear to ear." Meanwhile, the Indians dropped their third straight and continued team-wide hitting woes. Cleveland, which entered the game ranked 12th in the AL in hitting, is batting .205 and scored 11 runs in its last five games, four in its last three. This from a team that scored more than 1,000 runs in '99. Omar Vizquel, Roberto Alomar and Manny Ramirez, all of whom batted over .323 last season, are a combined 7-for-58 (.121) with three runs and two RBI in the homestand. "In the six or seven years I've been here this is probably the low point hitting," said Indians manager Charlie Manuel, the team's former batting coach. "We need a lot of work." Even throwing to catcher Chris Turner for the first time didn't stop Pettitte from being in a groove from the start. He retired the first 12 in a row -- 10 on grounders -- and didn't give up a hit until Manny Ramirez's single opened the fifth. "They were very aggressive early and that helped," said Pettitte. "When I got behind them I was just throwing it down the middle and they hit it into the ground." After striking out Jim Thome in the fifth, Pettitte walked Travis Fryman and Richie Sexson followed with a single to load the bases. Sexson's hit snapped the Indians' 0-for-21 streak with runners in scoring position in their last five games. Pettitte walked Alex Ramirez to force in a run, but as has been the case during much of the early season, the Indians failed to get a clutch hit. Einar Diaz popped out in foul territory for the second out and Jolbert Cabrera flied to center, letting Pettitte off. Bernie Williams hit his seventh homer in the fourth to make it 1-0, and the Yankees added two runs in the fifth on Delgado's first extra-base hit this season. Game notesKnoblauch will have further tests this week to determine the extent of his injury. Torre said there is a possibility Knoblauch could go on the DL for the first time in his career. ... The Yankees are 10-0 when holding an opponent to three or fewer runs. ... 1B Tino Martinez made the first nine putouts and 11 of the first 12 when Pettitte didn't let the Indians hit the ball out of the infield. ... Diaz has thrown out five of the last six potential basestealers and 7 of 15 this season. ... Witt has lost a career-high eight straight decisions. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard NY Yankees Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 7 Anaheim 6
NY Yankees 4 AUDIO/VIDEO   Its just another game for Yankees' skipper Joe Torre.wav: 176 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6   | |||||