El Duque Restores Order, 4-0

Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez was asked Friday if he’d ever pitched in colder weather, and when the New York Yankee right-hander said he played in Ireland and Italy, you could almost hear the snickers in the interview room, as if pitching against a bunch of amateurs in Europe would prepare him for the mighty Cleveland Indians.

The Cuban refugee was asked if he’d ever pitched in a bigger game, and when Hernandez said nothing compared to the pressure of jumping on a leaky boat and sailing toward freedom, you could see eyes roll--sure, you survived a rough ordeal to get here, but how does that prepare you for a must-win American League championship series game in hostile Jacobs Field?

Hernandez had one more message for his skeptics, but he saved this one for Saturday night: Do not underestimate me.

Showing no rust from a two-week layoff, Hernandez threw seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out six, to lead the Yankees to a 4-0 victory over the Indians in Game 4 of the ALCS, evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece and assuring the teams’ return to New York for Game 6 Tuesday night.

A crowd of 44,981 in Jacobs Field saw the Yankees continue to struggle offensively--they managed four hits Saturday, have not had back-to-back hits since the seventh inning of Game 1 and are batting .194 (26 for 134) in four ALCS games.

But Hernandez didn’t need much support, using his high leg kick and a variety of arm angles, breaking balls and off-speed pitches to confuse the Indians.

“El Duque was the story, he shut them down,” Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter said. “I don’t care if we score six runs the rest of the year and win six games, it doesn’t matter. If we get no hits and score on a passed ball, it makes no difference to me.

“Everyone knows we’re going to hit eventually, but this is the luxury you have when you have a great pitching staff.”

Some Indians weren’t all that impressed with Hernandez. “We got ourselves out--we swung at a lot of bad pitches and made it easy for him,” leadoff batter Kenny Lofton said.

But if the Yankees beat the Indians and advance to the World Series, they likely will look at Hernandez as the player who almost single-handedly turned the ALCS around.

The Yankees appeared to be crumbling under the weight of their expectations, losing Games 2 and 3, but now the series is deadlocked and New York has its two best pitchers, David Wells and David Cone, ready for Games 5 and 6.

“With Wells and Cone going and us going back to New York,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said, “I would like to think we have an edge.”

They do, in part because a Yankee pitcher got the upper hand against dangerous Indians Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez, who combined for three homers and five hits Friday but went 0 for 7 Saturday.

Hernandez got Thome to fly to the wall in right with two on in the first, struck him out with a fastball in the fourth and struck him out again in the sixth with a full-count changeup and runners at first and third. He struck out Ramirez in the fourth and sixth.

“I’ve watched him pitch all year, and I’ve never seen him tense,” Yankee designated hitter Chili Davis said of Hernandez. “With the rest he had, you knew he’d have a good fastball. When you’ve thrown a fastball by Thome, you’ve accomplished something.”

After walking Enrique Wilson to start the eighth, Hernandez was relieved by left-hander Mike Stanton, who struck out Lofton and gave up a single to Omar Vizquel.

But Stanton got No. 3 batter David Justice to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play, Jeter making a strong relay to first to squelch the threat, and closer Mariano Rivera retired the side in order in the ninth.

As they did Friday night, the Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the first, when Paul O’Neill hit his ninth career postseason home run--off Indian starter Doc Gooden, who is now 0-4 in nine playoff starts.

But this time the Yankees added on, scoring twice in the fourth when O’Neill and Bernie Williams walked and Davis hit an RBI ground-rule double to left.

Tino Martinez followed with a fly ball to medium center that second-base umpire Jim McKean ruled Lofton dropped, even through replays showed the Indian center fielder appeared to lose possession on the exchange from his glove to his throwing hand.

Martinez was credited with a sacrifice fly, his first RBI in 15 ALCS games, and New York added an insurance run in the ninth when Martinez doubled--his first hit in this ALCS--pinch-runner Homer Bush took third on a wild pitch and scored on Scott Brosius’ sacrifice fly.

It was another rough night for the men in blue, but at least two controversial plays involving McKean had no bearing on the outcome. After McKean’s ruling on Martinez’s fly ball in the fourth, Jorge Posada struck out and Chad Curtis grounded into an inning-ending double play.

On Jeter’s stolen-base attempt in the fifth, McKean got so close to the bag that Indian catcher Sandy Alomar’s throw hit McKean’s left leg, the ball caroming into right field and allowing Jeter to take third. But reliever Jim Poole came on to strike out O’Neill, ending the inning.