ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brett Gardner
scored the tiebreaking run on Alex Rodriguez's sacrifice fly in the
ninth, and the New York Yankees celebrated clinching their 14th playoff
appearance in 15 seasons Tuesday night with a 6-5 victory over the Los
Angeles Angels.
Rodriguez homered and drove in three
runs before Mariano Rivera earned his 41st save for the Yankees, who
were guaranteed a return to the postseason about 55 minutes before the
last out in Anaheim when Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-1.
The Yankees blew a 5-0 lead before
rallying to win for the first time in five games this season at Angel
Stadium, where they've still lost 18 of 24. Phil Hughes (8-3) allowed
the Angels' tying, unearned run in the eighth on Maicer Izturis' RBI
single.
Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and their
teammates are back in the postseason after staying home last fall in
manager Joe Girardi's debut campaign. The Yankees won 17 playoff series
and four World Series titles in a 13-year span after 1994, but New York
hasn't won a championship since 2000 or even a playoff series since the
2004 division series, losing four straight.
These Yankees are likely to be in
prime position to end that streak. They also have a six-game lead over
Boston in the AL East and a 5 1/2-game edge on the Angels for homefield
advantage at the new Yankee Stadium throughout the postseason.
Chone Figgins homered for the Angels,
who had won four of five. Los Angeles still has a 7 1/2-game lead on
the Rangers in the AL West, but its magic number stayed at six for
clinching its third straight division title.
The Yankees took a five-run lead in
the fifth inning after early homers from Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and
Hideki Matsui, but Los Angeles chipped away with several typical
small-ball rallies, tying it when Izturis drove home Howie Kendrick
with a single over the drawn-in infield in the eighth.
Gardner led off the ninth with a
single and stole second on a pitchout, thanks to a poor throw by
fourth-string Angels catcher Ryan Budde. After Matt Palmer (10-2)
walked Jeter and Mark Teixeira got an intentional walk from Darren
Oliver to load the bases with one out, Rodriguez's drive was deep
enough to get Gardner home.
Rivera's streak of 36 consecutive
saves ended last Friday in Seattle with only his second blown save of
the year, but Posada threw out pinch-runner Reggie Willits trying to
steal second base after Juan Rivera struck out in the ninth.
The Yankees hit their homers off Los
Angeles starter Ervin Santana, who yielded nine hits in six innings.
The Dominican right-hander's latest inconsistent outing probably
guaranteed manager Mike Scioscia will leave him out of the Angels'
playoff rotation.
Chad Gaudin started strong before
fading in the fifth inning for the Yankees, who have won each of his
five starts since he arrived last month in a trade with San Diego.
Jeter's fourth-inning single
clinched his seventh 200-hit season, a major league record for
shortstops. He's one 200-hit season shy of breaking the club record
held by Lou Gehrig, who was passed by Jeter as the Yankees' career hits
leader 11 days earlier.
Notes
Rodriguez is three homers
behind Mark McGwire for eighth place on baseball's career list. …
Gaudin hasn't received a decision in any of his five starts with New
York.