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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Ramon Ortiz made the Yankees work hard
for their runs Sunday night. Anaheim's rookie right-hander made New
York's Roger Clemens work even harder.
"In a game like this, every pitch is big and you feel it,"
Clemens said after making 101 in 6 2/3 innings of New York's 4-1
victory over the Angels.
Clemens exited in the seventh with only a 2-1 lead over Ortiz --
and those runs scored on a bases-loaded walk and a balk.
"You could make a hundred pitches in a 5-1 game, and not feel
it. In one like this, the body feels totally different. There's
more stress," added Clemens, who held Anaheim to four hits in
winning his sixth straight decision.
"Roger spent it all," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "In a
low-scoring game, every single pitch means more, and they take more
out of you."
Clemens (10-6) had to get by without his split-fingered
fastball, the pitch he usually relies on for a changeup. Three of
Anaheim's four hits came on splitters.
"It was just flat. By the second and third innings, I started
to change speeds with just the fastball," Clemens said. "It never
gets easier, and that was especially true today."
Ortiz (4-3), who outpitched Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez
with a complete-game two-hitter in his previous start, virtually
matched Clemens, winner of the 1997-98 AL Cy Young Awards.
But control lapses led to both New York runs off Ortiz.
"He was really antsy before the game, a little hyper," Anaheim
manager Mike Scioscia said. "He didn't get himself together until
the later innings."
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead without a hit in the second, when
they loaded the bases on walks to Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada
sandwiched around Dave Justice getting hit by a pitch. Ortiz then
walked Scott Brosius on a full-count pitch to force in Williams.
Ortiz struck out the side in the fourth, but in-between again
helped the Yankees load the bases on Justice's single and walks to
Tino Martinez and Posada. With a full count on Jose Vizcaino, Ortiz
interrupted his windup for a balk that scored Justice for a 2-0
lead.
"We were fortunate to cash in some breaks. And Roger made it
stand up," Torre said.
The Angels cut it to 2-1 on Darin Erstad's two-out RBI single in
the fifth.
With two outs in the seventh, pinch-hitter Tim Salmon lined a
drive up the right-center field alley. But Salmon, who did not
start due to a strained groin muscle, only made it to first.
Left-hander Mike Stanton relieved and picked off Benji Gil -- running for Salmon -- without making a pitch, to end the inning.
Torre admitted calling for the pickoff from the bench.
"Stanton's quick, and he caught Benji a little flat-footed. It
was a perfect job of relief," Torre said.
New York then went to work on Anaheim's bullpen, with Martinez's
run-scoring single off Mike Holtz in the eighth making it 3-1. Mark
Petkovsek issued a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to Posada,
scoring pinch-runner Clay Bellinger.
New York leads Boston by four games in the AL East, while
Anaheim is two games behind Oakland and Cleveland in the wild-card
race.
Clemens gave up one run, walked three and struck out two. He had
no-decisions his previous three starts -- each of them Yankees wins
-- and has not lost since June 9 to the New York Mets.
Sunday's start was his first since signing a three-year, $30.9
million contract extension.
"It's good to know I'll have the opportunity to play here for a
few more years, but that didn't change my approach or attitude,"
Clemens said.
Mariano Rivera got the last five outs for his 26th save in 30
chances.
Ortiz pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, but walked six.
He allowed two runs and struck out five.
Game notes
Salmon is listed as day-to-day. ... Erstad became only the
second leadoff batter in 27 years to reach 80 RBIs; Boston's Nomar
Garciaparra had 98 RBIs from the leadoff spot in 1997. ... Vizcaino
went 0-for-4 and has just five hits in 42 at-bats. ... Sunday
night's sellout crowd of 43,411 boosted attendance for the series
to an Edison Field-record 129,974. ... Against Ortiz's sinking
fastball, the Yankees hit only two fly balls to the outfield.
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Baseball Scoreboard
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Anaheim Clubhouse
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