Yankees Go Four-Ward

It will be months, probably years, before this city returns to normal after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, but the New York Yankees did their part to restore a sense of order: They’re back where they belong, in their rightful October place, the World Series.

The Yankees slugged their way to their 38th pennant with a 12-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the American League championship series before 56,370 in Yankee Stadium Monday night and will shoot for their 28th World Series title, and fourth in a row, against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Saturday.

Yankee left-hander Andy Pettitte threw six scoreless innings before tiring in the seventh, and Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez each homered to lead a 13-hit outburst, as the Yankees won the best-of-seven series, four games to one, and improved to 40-11 in their last 51 postseason games.

More important, the Yankees provided an emotional boost to a city as it digs through the rubble of the World Trade Center and delivers eulogies for fallen firefighters, police officers and emergency workers and thousands of World Trade Center victims.

“This couldn’t have come at a better time; it was absolutely critical,” said New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a fixture next to the Yankee dugout during the postseason and a postgame reveler in the Yankee clubhouse.

“Our spirits are stronger than they’ve ever been. This was very needed, very important, and I think the Yankees felt that pressure for the city to produce. This city needs to demonstrate to the rest of the world that our spirit is not only unaffected, it’s as strong and vibrant as it’s ever been. And having these games on national television gives the nation a sense that we can get over this.”

George Steinbrenner, the blustery Yankee owner known far more for his rants than his raves, was almost moved to tears.

“There were hundreds of police and firemen and emergency workers who weren’t able to see this,” Steinbrenner said.

“They didn’t ask any questions, they just ran up the stairs [of the World Trade Center] ... so this is an emotional time. I’m happy for New York we were able to contribute, but what we did for New York is a lot smaller than what [Giuliani] did. He’s a hero.”

The Yankees rarely need extra motivation this time of year; Steinbrenner, sees anything less than a World Series trophy as an abject failure, and their team is full of veterans who feel the same way. But they drew inspiration from Giuliani and all those leading recovery efforts.

“I think what made this special is this city needed something,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “Again, not to try to use this [as motivation] because we have done well before what happened on Sept. 11, but I realize and the players realize that all of a sudden, our responsibility was more than just to baseball fans.

“It was to the city of New York, to represent them and to bring a smile to their face while they’re still trying to dig out. I don’t know if it will ever be the same, but we’re working like hell to try to give them a little respite from their weariness.”

Few expected the Yankees to bring such joy to New York when they lost the first two games of the division series to Oakland at home. But the Yankees stormed back, winning three consecutive to advance to the ALCS, where they simply manhandled a team that tied a major league record by winning 116 regular-season games.

Seattle Manager Lou Piniella vowed after losing the first two games at home that the series would return to Seattle for Game 6. The Mariners flew back to Seattle all right, but not for Game 6. And don’t think Yankee fans didn’t remind them.

Through the middle innings Monday night, they serenaded Piniella with chants of, “No Game 6! No Game 6!” Late in the game, they chanted, “Over-rated! Over-rated!”

They looked it Monday night. The Mariners were the AL’s best defensive team but third baseman David Bell committed a key error that opened the door for the Yankees’ four-run third inning.

Seattle had the league’s lowest earned run average, but four pitchers were pounded for 13 hits. The Mariners led the league in offense but failed to muster many clutch hits Monday night and throughout the series.

It was the Yankee rotation that dominated. Pettitte, who was named ALCS most valuable player, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens and Orlando Hernandez combined to give up 11 runs in 301/3 innings for a 3.26 ERA.

“For the most part,” Piniella said, “they held us in check pretty good.”

Seattle right-hander Aaron Sele, who is 0-6 in seven career postseason starts, did not. He gave up five runs on four hits, including homers by Williams and O’Neill, in four innings, though only one run was earned.

Bell is one of baseball’s most sure-handed third basemen, but he played himself into an in-between hop on Scott Brosius’ hard grounder to open the third, and the ball caromed off Bell’s hip for an error that paved the way for four unearned runs.

Alfonso Soriano singled, Chuck Knoblauch’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly made it 1-0. Justice ripped an RBI double to right, and Williams homered for the third straight game, a two-run shot to left-center.

New York scored four runs in the sixth to make it 9-0 before Seattle nicked Pettitte for three in the seventh. The Mariners had runners on first and second with one out and a chance to cut the lead to 9-6, but Ramiro Mendoza came on to retire Mike Cameron on a pop to shortstop and strike out Bret Boone, who homered in Games 3 and 4.

Seattle had baseball’s best record and was expected to dethrone the Yankees. Oakland won 102 games and had the Yankees on the ropes. Look who’s standing now?

“We’re not necessarily the favorites every year, but we seem to get the job done,” Torre said. “Yeah, you turn it on and off, and at times, I guess, I just have to let it go and stop fighting that question because it seems that we’ve become a better club in the postseason. Don’t ask my why that is. I know experience is a big part of it.”