Yankees Turn Tide on Mets

Just when the New York Mets started to think sweep, Jorge Posada and the New York Yankees woke up.

A day after routing the two-time World Series champions in their first meeting this season, the Mets held early leads Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Yankee fans were quiet, maybe even worried.

Then the rout began.

Posada greeted Pat Mahomes with a tiebreaking three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning, and the Yankees beat the Mets, 13-5, before 55,839 to even this year’s Subway Series at a game apiece.

“Everyone’s got caught up in this,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said, aware these are more than ordinary games.

Andy Pettitte (6-2) was struggling--”sky high” was the way Torre put it. He couldn’t get three consecutive outs.

But his batters finally gave him a chance to relax.

With the Mets leading, 5-3, Wilson Delgado hit a leadoff single against Bobby Jones (1-3) in the fifth, Paul O’Neill had a two-out run-scoring double and Bernie Williams tied the score with a single.

After a hit-and-run single by Tino Martinez--shortstop Kurt Abbott almost came up with the ball because he moved toward the second-base bag--Met Manager Bobby Valentine went to his bullpen for Mahomes. The reliever went to a 3-and-2 count, then shook off catcher Todd Pratt’s signal for a changeup and threw a fastball that didn’t move in.

Posada lofted the ball into a wind blowing hard to right and the ball landed in the upper deck for an 8-5 Yankee lead.

“It was a huge, huge lift for us,” Torre said.

Posada, hitting .326 with 12 homers and 31 runs batted in, wasn’t that impressed. “I’m just part of a good lineup,” he said, citing Williams, O’Neill and Martinez. “I’m just kind of the sleeper at the end.”

He nearly laughed when he was mentioned in the same phrase as Mike Piazza, the Mets’ all-star catcher, whose grand slam sparked his team in Friday night’s 12-2 Met victory.

“I can’t compare myself to Piazza,” Posada said with typical understatement.

It was similar to two years ago, when Valentine brought in Mel Rojas to replace Al Leiter with a 4-3 lead in the seventh, and O’Neill hit a three-run homer that sent the Yankees on to an 8-4 victory.

Pettitte, who needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning, then relaxed and got six consecutive outs before the bullpen took over. Pettitte won his fourth consecutive start, giving up five runs, seven hits and four walks.

“I finally wore myself down enough,” said Pettitte, who threw 124 pitches.

Meanwhile, the Yankees teed off on the Mets’ relievers.

Derek Jeter homered in the sixth against Dennis Cook, and Shane Spencer hit a two-run double in the seventh and scored on a single by Scott Brosius. O’Neill singled home a run for his third RBI.

The Yankees, who scored eight of their first nine runs with two out, finished with 17 hits.

Jones, who hasn’t made it past the sixth inning all year, gave up seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.