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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- The scene was perfect and David Wells was close
to it. Pitching in his favorite stadium in front of the fans that
still adore him, Wells came within five outs of becoming the first
20-game winner in the majors.
|  | | Jose Cruz Jr. gets a hero's welcome after blasting his 30th home run. |
Wells will have to wait for yet another chance at 20 wins, but
Toronto got a needed win when Jose Cruz Jr. hit a two-run homer in
the 11th inning the give the Blue Jays a 3-2 decision over the New York
Yankees on Thursday night.
"There's no better place in the world to play than Yankee
Stadium," said Wells, one of the most popular Yankees during his
two-year stay in New York. "The fans are awesome. There's so much
history. It's overwhelming every time I come here."
Wells went 39-14 with the Yankees, including 5-0 in the
postseason and a perfect game in 1998. He was devastated after
being traded for Roger Clemens before the 1999 season, and still
pines for his days in pinstripes.
The New York fans feel the same way, cheering him every time he
stepped out of the dugout. The Boomer challenged owner George
Steinbrenner, feuded with manager Joe Torre and struggled with his
weight. Yet he never lost the fans' support.
"They respect me because of what I did when I was here," Wells
said. "They think I'm a wild and crazy guy and at times I can be.
But I also do my job."
Wells overwhelmed the Yankees for seven innings, matching zeros
with Andy Pettitte in a pitchers' duel full of postseason
intensity. Yet neither was around when the game was decided.
With the score 1-all, Carlos Delgado led off the 11th with a
single against Randy Choate (0-1). Two outs later, Cruz hit a drive
into the wind in left field. Luis Polonia backed up to the wall,
leaped, but the ball just cleared his glove for Cruz's 30th homer.
Cruz joined Delgado, Tony Batista and Brad Fullmer with 30
homers, making Toronto and this year's Angels the only AL teams
ever with four 30-homer hitters.
Billy Koch (8-3) pitched two innings for the win and Kelvim
Escobar pitched the 11th for his second save, allowing a one-out
homer to Ryan Thompson. The Blue Jays moved within three games of
wild card leader Cleveland.
"It was a game we needed to win," manager Jim Fregosi said.
"In the position we're in now, every game is a must-win game."
Wells, who allowed eight hits in eight innings, failed for the
third time to reach 20 wins for the first time in his career. He
got knocked out in the second inning against Oakland on Sept. 4,
and Koch blew a 5-4 lead in the ninth for Wells last Saturday
against Detroit.
"To me it's just a number," he said. "I'm about keeping the
team in the game and getting the win."
After Pettitte's throwing error led to an unearned run in the
top of the eighth, Wells appeared to be on his way to winning No.
20.
But Derek Jeter tied the game in the bottom half when he hit a
shot over the center-field fence for his 14th homer. Wells slapped
in disgust as plate umpire Angel Hernandez threw out a new ball,
watching another chance at 20 wins go by. Wells probably will get
three more starts.
"A lot of times you have pitchers' duels advertised and they
don't live up to their billing," Jeter said. "But today it was
what it was supposed to be."
Pettitte, going for his 100th career win, didn't allow a runner
past first base until Craig Grebeck led off the eighth with a
double. Alberto Castillo then bunted back to Pettitte who wheeled
and threw to third. The wild throw sailed into left field, scoring
pinch-runner Dewayne Wise and sending Castillo to second on the
error.
"Obviously in a game like that one mistake is going to decide
it," Pettitte said. "The mistake I really made, besides the
error, was trying to sneak a fastball by Grebeck. He's a dead
fastball hitter."
Shannon Stewart followed with another bunt to Pettitte, who
struggled to pick the ball up before throwing to first. The throw
appeared to beat Stewart, but umpire Marty Foster called him safe,
sending Torre barreling out of the dugout. Torre was ejected in the
argument.
Pettitte left after a sacrifice bunt by Alex Gonzalez, and Mike
Stanton got out of the jam without additional damage. Pettitte
allowed four hits in 7 1-3 innings, striking out nine.
Game notes
Wells has walked none in 13 of 32 starts. ... Wells is 28-9
with a 3.27 ERA in his career at Yankee Stadium. ... Jeter
(4-for-5) has reached base safely in 39 straight games -- the
longest active streak in the majors. ... Delgado, third in the AL
with 39 homers, went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts and has a
15-game homerless stretch -- tied for his longest of the season.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 7
Cleveland 4
Toronto 3
NY Yankees 2
Texas 8
Kansas City 1
Atlanta 5
Florida 3
Milwaukee 6
Cincinnati 4
NY Mets 10
Montreal 4
Houston 8
Pittsburgh 7
St. Louis 4
Chicago Cubs 0
Colorado 5
Los Angeles 4
AUDIO/VIDEO
 David Wells feels glad to be leaving New York on a winning note.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jim Fergosi is happy his team came out on the winning end of an old fashioned pitchers duel.
wav: 153 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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