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Sunday, Sep. 24 1:05pm ET
Yankees magic number down to three | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- The wins keep adding up for Andy Pettitte. Pettitte became the first pitcher to win 100 games with the Yankees since Ron Guidry, and Tino Martinez hit a pair of two-run homers to lead New York over the Detroit Tigers 6-3 Sunday. "It's been a goal of mine since the start of the season," Pettitte said. "I wanted to do it in my first six years. "When I came up here, I had a lot of people tell me that if I could stay healthy, I would win a lot of games," he said. "I feel like I play for a really great team with a really great bullpen that makes me look better than I am." Bernie Williams hit his career-high 30th home run as the Yankees cut their magic number for winning the AL East to three over Toronto, which lost to Tampa Bay 6-0. New York won for just the third time in 11 games. "When he went out there, I don't think his priority was winning his 100th game. It was to help us win a pennant," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. Pettitte (19-8) improved to 100-54 since making his major league debut with New York in 1995. He also gave himself a chance to win 20 this season, with his final start next weekend at Baltimore. Pettitte became the 15th pitcher to record 100 victories with the Yankees, and first since another lefty from Louisiana -- Guidry -- reached the mark in 1982. Mel Stottlemyre and Fritz Peterson are the only other New York pitchers to earn their 100th wins with the Yankees in the last 30 years. After giving up three runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings, Pettitte was pulled. He left to a standing ovation and doffed his cap. Reliever Jeff Nelson finished out the eighth and Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 36th save. The Yankees beat Detroit for only the fourth time in 11 tries. Pettitte helped himself out with more than his pitching. He snared Brad Ausmus' liner at his hip, and also posted his fourth pickoff of the season -- and 54th of his career -- when he trapped Dusty Allen off first base. Jeff Weaver (10-15) tied for the AL lead in losses, matching Baltimore's Mike Mussina, Minnesota's Brad Radke and Toronto's Kelvim Escobar. Williams opened the second with a drive over the right-field wall, breaking his career high of 29 homers set in 1996. After Jorge Posada singled one out later, Martinez homered. Martinez, who began the game in a 1-for-33 slump, hit a two-run homer in the eighth. It was the 14th multihomer game of his career and first this season. The Tigers scored a strange run in the third. Shane Halter walked with two outs and should've made it home easily when Jose Macias tripled off the left-field wall. Halter fell face-first halfway between and third and home, and tried to scramble back to third. But with Macias and the ball going there, he appeared trapped. "I was thinking, `Oh, I'm out,' " Halter said. Third baseman Scott Brosius, however, caught the throw and had no idea what was happening behind him, allowing Halter to stroll home without a play. "I thought the play was over. I assumed he had scored," Brosius said. Said Halter: "It would've been three times worse if I hadn't scored. You just want to crawl under a blade of grass." Halter hit a two-run triple in the seventh, making it 4-3. Game notesRHP Roger Clemens, hit in the right leg by Ausmus' hard grounder Saturday, was sporting a multicolored bruise. After the game, Torre said Clemens was "iffy" for his next start. Clemens will be re-evaluated after he throws Monday. ... Derek Jeter's two singles gave him 998 career hits. ... Tigers OF Juan Gonzalez missed his fourth straight game because of back spasms. ... Deivi Cruz had his 52nd multihit game of the season, the most for a Tigers players since Alan Trammell in 1987. ... There was a moment of silence before the game for Aurelio Rodriguez, who played for both the Yankees and Tigers. The Gold Glove third baseman was killed this weekend in an auto accident in Detroit. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Detroit Clubhouse NY Yankees Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 1 Boston 0
NY Yankees 6
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