Yankees Homer, Bunt, Steal to Defeat Tigers

The New York Yankees are known for hitting home runs, not for bunting and stealing bases.

They did all three Thursday and rallied in the 11th inning to beat Detroit, 6-5, and move above .500 for the first time since May 12.

“That was one of the biggest games of the year for us,” said Steve Sax, who hit the game-winning sacrifice fly. “There was something different about this game. It was kind of out there for either team to grab.”

Dave Righetti blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning, allowing doubles to Gary Ward and Alan Trammell. Detroit took the lead in the top of the 11th when Lou Whitaker, who has never hit more than 21 homers, hit his 18th, off Eric Plunk, 3-1.

But Jesse Barfield led off the bottom of the 11th with his first home run since June 8, a line shot to right off Mike Henneman, 5-2.

“It’s about time I came through in a situation like that,” said Barfield, who is just 8 for 44 with runners in scoring position since the Yankees acquired him from Toronto. “I’ve left my quota of runners on base. I’ve squandered my share of chances.”

Pagliarulo then checked his swing on a forkball and blooped the ball into short left field for a double.

“It was perfect placement,” Pagliarulo joked. “I practice that in BP.”

Don Slaught was intentionally walked and Alvaro Espinoza executed a perfect sacrifice. Roberto Kelly was walked intentionally, loading the bases, and Sax flied to medium right.

“I had some butterflies,” said Sax, 14 for 28 against Detroit this season with seven runs-batted in. “I tried to get a real loose grip on the bat. If I try to muscle it, I’m going to pop it up. Just sting it.”

The Yankees, 42-41, had not been over .500 since they were 17-16. They have not been two games over this year.

“It looked like it was gonna slip away from us,” Yankee Manager Dallas Green said. “It was a good, bear-down win for us.”

Detroit, on the other hand, dropped to 31-51, losing its seventh straight game in Yankee Stadium.

“When you’re losing, things go against you and things pile up,” Tigers manager Sparky Anderson said.

The Yankees took a 4-3 lead with two runs in the fifth. Kelly walked, stole second and scored on Sax’s double. Sax then stole third and scored on Luis Polonia’s groundout.

“It wasn’t the big home-run type of Yankees lineup that people are used to seeing,” Sax said. “There weren’t many big homers but there were doubles up the gap and down the line.”

Rookie Clay Parker, New York’s most effective starter this season, gave up seven hits and one earned run in six innings and almost got the victory.

“I felt out of synch,” he said. “I let too many little things bother me. Every inning, it’s tough to do, get out of those situations. There’s no excuse for it.”

Lee Guetterman pitched two shutout innings before Righetti took over. He wound up blowing his fifth save in 20 opportunities.

Rick Schu’s sacrifice fly gave Detroit a 1-0 lead in the second, but New York tied it in the bottom of the inning on Pagliarulo’s fourth home run.

Detroit went back ahead in the fourth on Ward’s sacrifice fly and Trammell’s RBI infield hit.