Cabrera’s Catch Saves Yankees, 2-1

Perhaps the best reaction to Melky Cabrera’s game-saving catch that robbed Manny Ramirez of a tying homer Tuesday night at New York came from Boston slugger David Ortiz.

“That’s why I hit mine 500 feet,” Ortiz said. “Then I don’t have to deal with that.”

Cabrera made a leaping catch in the eighth inning, and the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 2-1, behind a strong start from Chien-Ming Wang (6-2). Ortiz’s third-inning homer accounted for the Red Sox run.

The Yankees left fielder by necessity, Cabrera went to the wall and brought back Ramirez’s drive for the final out of the eighth.

The catch was so good, it had center fielder Johnny Damon jumping and pumping his fist in celebration.

Cabrera, whose early experience in left field filling in for injured Hideki Matsui was not always pretty, called this the best catch of his life.

Speaking through a translator, he said, “I was aware of the score and I followed the flight of the ball. I knew I had it all the way.”

He might have been the only one.

Boston Manager Terry Francona called the catch “devastating.”

“I knew it was going to be close,” he said. “It was a pretty big play at a pretty big time of the game.”

On his way out to left field, Ramirez passed Cabrera. “He said, ‘You should let that ball go out,’ ” Cabrera recalled. “I said, ‘I’m trying to win.’ ”

Chicago 4, Detroit 3 -- Alex Cintron hit a three-run homer against reliever Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning and the White Sox rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the first-place Tigers at Chicago.

Seattle 4, Minnesota 2 -- The Mariners’ Felix Hernandez (5-6) gave up one run and six hits over seven innings at Seattle, winning for the third time in his last four starts.

He struck out five and threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

Oakland 7, Cleveland 6 -- Eric Chavez’s two-run homer and Dan Johnson’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning rallied the Athletics at Cleveland.

Of Chavez’s last 17 runs batted in since May 16, 11 have either tied the score or put the A’s ahead.

Texas 6, Kansas City 2 -- Brad Wilkerson hit a home run and doubled, lifting the Rangers.

The Royals have lost eight consecutive games at home.

Toronto 6, Baltimore 4 -- Alex Rios broke a tie with a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Aaron Hill had two RBIs to lift the Blue Jays at Baltimore.

Rios was two for five to raise his American League-leading batting average to .359.