Damon's Four RBI Lead Yanks Over Tribe; Torre's Job Safe One More Day

Oct 08, 12:15 AM

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Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Johnny Damon hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning as the New York Yankees overcame an early injury to Roger Clemens and stayed alive in their American League Division Series with an 8-4 Game 3 win over Cleveland.

New York overcame a three-run deficit, two nights after falling victim to a plague of flying insects in a 2-1, 11-inning loss at Cleveland.

The victory also saved Joe Torre's job for another day. Torre, who is in the final year of a contract worth $7 million per year as Yankees manager, is reportedly on the hot seat. In a newspaper article Sunday, team owner George Steinbrenner was quoted as saying he didn't "think we'd take him back if we don't win this series."

"This is a very uncomfortable time of year. It's an exciting time of year," Torre said. "Any time you win a ball game in the postseason it's exciting. You understand there's no safety net."

Damon ended 3-for-4 with four RBI and Robinson Cano had a hit that led to three runs for the Yankees, who pounded out 11 hits after having just eight over the first two games.

"We know our backs are up against the wall," Damon said. "We know we have to come out and play well. There's a lot on the line. We're playing for our manager that we love, we're playing for fans that we love. We'd like to prolong the season as long as we can."

Even Alex Rodriguez joined in on the hit parade. Rodriguez, who entered Sunday 4-for-47 over his previous 14 playoff games, had a pair of hits and scored once.

"Every time we got to postseason there's nothing that's going to satisfy anybody unless you win the World Series," Torre said. "That's very difficult. Those are very difficult situations for the players to play under."

Game 4 of the best-of-five set is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. (et) on Monday in the Bronx. Paul Byrd will pitch Monday for the Indians, while Torre decided to bring Chien-Ming Wang back on three days' rest following his loss in the opener.

"I understand the requirements here, but the players are human beings," Torre said. "It's not machinery. Even though they get paid a lot of money, there's still blood that runs through their veins. My job is to try to get them to be the players they are by allowing them to understand the best ever you can give is all you can do."

Clemens, making possibly the final appearance of his Hall of Fame career, left the game in the third inning due to a strained left hamstring. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was making his first start for the Yankees since September 16 due to a similar injury.

The Yankees fell behind 3-0 shortly after Clemens left, but Damon singled in a run in the third before capping the four-run fifth with his blast to right field off Jake Westbrook. New York blew the game open in the sixth, loading the bases and then getting three runs when the ball got by Trot Nixon's glove on Cano's hit to right field.

Phil Hughes (1-0) allowed two hits and struck out four over 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Joba Chamberlain, who was overcome by the bugs in blowing an eighth inning lead on Friday, allowed three hits and a run over two frames. Mariano Rivera recorded two strikeouts in throwing the ninth inning.

Nixon homered and drove in two runs for the Indians.

Westbrook (0-1) was pounded for nine hits and six runs over five-plus innings.

Although the task remains arduous, the Yankees have been in this position before. The only other time they lost the first two games of the ALDS was 2001 versus Oakland, and New York won that series.

Wang got the start over Mike Mussina for Monday despite giving up nine hits and eight runs in 4 2/3 innings in Game 1's 12-3 loss.

"We understand if we win tomorrow we have to go back over to Cleveland," Torre said. "We didn't have a good memory over there, but we have to make sure we don't get too far ahead of ourselves."

Ryan Garko hit an RBI single off Clemens in the first inning, Nixon homered to right field with one out in the second, and Clemens walked Travis Hafner to start the third before fanning Victor Martinez.

Clemens was charged with four hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings. He also walked two and had the one strikeout, but the Indians tacked on another run later in the frame against Hughes. With Hafner at second, Jhonny Peralta doubled to the right field corner with two outs for a 3-0 margin.

The Yankees put runners at the corners in the third before Damon singled to right to drive in Hideki Matsui. However, Derek Jeter grounded into his second straight double play to end the inning.

Then came the game-changing fifth with four straight Yankee hits, the first time they've had consecutive hits all series. Matsui singled with one out and Cano doubled to left. Melky Cabrera laced an RBI single to left, and Damon then turned on a Westbrook pitch and belted it over the wall in right for a 5-3 lead.

"The frustrating thing is I felt great, I felt strong, Westbrook said. "They came out with a different approach in the fifth inning and I didn't mix it up like I was supposed to, and then it cost us. You have to stay away from the big inning, especially against these guys in the playoffs.

Everything fell apart for the Indians the next inning. Rodriguez reached on an infield hit to start the inning, and Aaron Fultz came in from the bullpen, but gave up a single to Jorge Posada. After a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Doug Mientkiewicz, Matsui was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Cano then singled to right, but the ball got by the glove of a charging Nixon, allowing three runners to score.

"I was reading the ball a little too much," Nixon said. "I wanted to field it cleanly and make a play at the plate, but somehow that ball was on it's way down. I closed my glove a little too soon."

Nixon doubled in Kenny Lofton in the eighth off Chamberlain, but Casey Blake flied out to deep right field to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Indians remain one victory away from their first playoff series win since 1998, while Yankees are still on the verge of being ousted in the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year...If the Indians won Sunday this would have been the first time in Division Series history that all four in a single year would have ended in a sweep. Boston completed a sweep of the Angels in the other ALDS on Sunday. Arizona dumped Chicago and Colorado eliminated Philadelphia on Saturday in the NLDS...Jeter (0-for-4) played in his 49th career Division Series game and 121st career postseason game, surpassing Bernie Williams (48 ALDS games, 120 postseason games) for first place in both categories on baseball's all-time list...Rodriguez snapped an 0-for-18 postseason streak with a second-inning single...Hughes (21 years, 105 days old) won his first career postseason game, becoming the youngest Yankees pitcher to record a postseason win...Nixon hit his first homer since July 7 at Toronto.

10/07 23:28:25 ET