Yankees Save Their Best for Last Again, 3-2

The Bronx Bombers turned into the Bronx bandits Friday night, swiping a Division Series game from the unsuspecting Texas Rangers.

The New York Yankees made mistakes in the field, mistakes on the basepath, and their offense showed as much punch as Bruce Seldon, but they somehow mustered a two-run rally in the ninth to defeat the Rangers, 3-2, in the pivotal Game 3 in front of 50,860 at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Arlington has been more of a burial ground for the Yankees, who had lost 49 of their last 67 games in this city, but they took a 2-1 series lead Friday and can close out the Rangers in Game 4 today.

“We definitely stole one tonight,” Yankee first baseman Tino Martinez said. “They had a lot of momentum on their side, and we didn’t even threaten in the sixth, seventh and eighth. . . . but we rallied in the ninth.”

Ranger starter Darren Oliver took a four-hitter and a 2-1 lead into the ninth, thanks to yet another Juan Gonzalez homer--his fourth of the series--in the fourth, catcher Ivan Rodriguez’s RBI double in the fifth and several outstanding defensive plays.

But Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, who started New York’s Game 2 winning rally in the 12th, opened the ninth with a single and Tim Raines, after failing a sacrifice attempt, fought off an 0-and-2 count, worked Oliver to 3-and-2 and singled to left-center, moving Jeter to third.

Manager Johnny Oates summoned closer Mike Henneman--two batters too late, some thought--and Bernie Williams, who homered and robbed Rusty Greer of a homer in the first--greeted him with a sacrifice fly, tying the score, 2-2.

Cecil Fielder grounded out, Raines taking second, and the Rangers intentionally walked Martinez to pitch to Mariano Duncan.

“If I was the manager, I would have done the same thing,” Duncan said. “What if they pitched to Tino and he hit a two-run homer? They’d be all over [Oates]. He did the right thing.”

So did Duncan, who drilled a Henneman forkball to center for an RBI single and a 3-2 lead.

“I thought maybe Bernie would hit a homer or Cecil would hit one in the gap,” Duncan said. “It never entered my mind that I could be the hero.”

Yankee closer John Wetteland walked Mickey Tettleton to open the ninth. Pinch-runner Damon Buford was bunted to second, and he took third on pinch-hitter Warren Newson’s chopper, which Wetteland made a tremendous play on, fielding the ball behind the mound, spinning and firing to first.

Wetteland then struck out Darryl Hamilton to end the game, leaving the Rangers in disbelief.

They had a 4-3 lead over New York with one out in the eighth of Game 2 but lost, 5-4, in 12 innings. They had a 2-1 lead going into the ninth in Game 3 but lost.

Yankee starter Jimmy Key, who entered with a 1-2 record and 7.16 earned run average at the Ballpark in Arlington, went five innings, giving up two runs, and right-hander Jeff Nelson followed with three innings of one-hit relief.

That kept the Yankees in the game despite Rodriguez’s pick-off of Charlie Hayes at second in the third inning and Jeter’s failure to cover second on Kevin Elster’s delayed steal in the fifth.

Elster took third when catcher Joe Girardi’s throw went into center field and scored on Rodriguez’s double for a 2-1 lead.

“That was very uncharacteristic of how we play,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “But after the Rangers took the lead, everyone rallied around each other. It’s like, they knew they screwed up and wanted to make up for it.”

Williams also got picked off first in the fourth, but that was his only mistake. He hit an opposite-field homer in the first and then pulled Greer’s drive back in the park.

“I don’t know what Bernie is capable of doing--I just hope I hang around long enough to find out,” Torre said. “He’s a special person, a guy I’d pay to watch play.”