SEATTLE -- Their eyes were narrow slits. Their faces had 5 o'clock shadows.

The New York Yankees were sleepless even before they arrived in Seattle on Tuesday, traveling across the country for the second straight night and the third time in five nights.

"It's definitely draining," said Andy Pettitte, who will start the AL Championship Series opener Wednesday. "It's hard on the body, flying all night long, especially for two nights in a row. I think everybody is just ready to get a good night's sleep and rest up and be ready to get going tomorrow."

New York's road to the AL championship was as lengthy as that of the Ancient Mariner.

The odyssey began when the team left Yankee Stadium at about 1 a.m. ET Friday following the Game 2 loss to the A's and went to Newark International Airport for the 2,552-mile flight Oakland.

After Sunday's win at the Coliseum tied the series 2-all and extended the first-round series to its limit, the Yankees left the ballpark at about 6:30 p.m. PT and got back to Yankee Stadium at 4 a.m. Monday.

Sixteen hours later, they played the A's, won 5-3, celebrated, then left Yankee Stadium at about 1:30 a.m. for the 2,396-mile flight to Seattle.

They landed at 5:05 a.m. Tuesday and got to the hotel an hour later. By 2:30 p.m., they were at cold and damp Safeco Field for meetings and a workout.

"It's such a high. You go on fumes," manager Joe Torre said. "You just go on adrenaline all the time. I guess we're tired, but we're so happy about the result of this last series and the mountain that we climbed."

Torre let players decide if they wanted to hit. Most did.

"I think we're going to be fine," Bernie Williams said. "If we were going to play today, I think it would be a different story."

In the opener, Pettitte (15-10) opposes Aaron Sele (15-5), who has lost to the Yankees in each of the last three postseason. Mike Mussina (17-11), whose 1-0 victory in Game 3 turned around the division series, faces Freddy Garcia (18-6) on Thursday.

When the series resumes in New York on Saturday, Orlando Hernandez (4-7) pitches against Jamie Moyer (20-6) in Game 3, and Roger Clemens (20-3) faces Paul Abbott (17-4) in Game 4.

With the right-handed Sele starting for Seattle in the opener, Torre will revert to his regular lineup. Chuck Knoblauch will lead off and play left field, followed by shortstop Derek Jeter, designated hitter David Justice, Williams in center, first baseman Tino Martinez, catcher Jorge Posada, right fielder Paul O'Neill, third baseman Scott Brosius and second baseman Alfonso Soriano.

New York hit just .241 and scored 18 runs in its five games against Oakland, but won because of a 2.20 team ERA, holding the A's to 12 runs and a .247 batting average, including .093 (4-for-43) with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees weren't much better with runners in scoring position, hitting .211 (8-for-38), but it was just enough.

"Runs are hard to come by in the postseason because (of) good pitching," Jeter said, "especially when you get to this point -- the last four teams in baseball all have great pitching staffs."

Many thought the Yankees' run of three straight World Series titles was over when they fell behind 0-2. None of the 10 previous teams to lose the first two games at home in a best-of-five rebounded to win.

"What I found out about our team is that the core is still there and the people that come in understand the philosophy is that we are there to win games and that we don't care who wins them," Torre said.

For instance: Clemens didn't mind being taken out in the fifth inning Monday, losing the chance to win. When the game was over, the Rocket sought out his manager to celebrate.

"He almost broke my back when we got in the clubhouse and he picked me up," Torre said. "We know there's nothing wrong with his arms. He picked me up like I was a toy."