Yanks ride HR to victory
NEW YORK — Mark Teixeira hit a leadoff homer in the 11th inning to give the New York Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins Friday night and a 2-0 lead in their AL playoff series.
Teixeira's drive off Jose Mijares hit the top of the left-field wall and skipped over as the Yankee Stadium crowd roared. Teixeira tossed aside his batting helmet as he approached home and was mobbed by teammates.
"I don't think there's anything better in sports," he said as his teammates celebrated around him. "I got chills right now."
Alex Rodriguez hit a tying, two-run homer off Joe Nathan in the ninth after a leadoff single by Teixeira. Rodriguez also had a two-out RBI single for the Yankees, off to their first 2-0 postseason start since 1999 against Texas.
Minnesota was hurt by a blown call by left-field umpire Phil Cuzzi in the top of the 11th. Joe Mauer led off with a drive down the line that appeared to go off Melky Cabrera's glove before clearly landing about a foot inside the line and bouncing into the stands.
Cuzzi said it was foul — it's been a tough week for umpires, with several missed calls — and Mauer ended up with a single when he should have had a ground-rule double. The Twins went on to load the bases with no outs but failed to score when David Robertson retired three straight to end the inning.
Teixeira then hit his first career postseason homer in the bottom half. It was New York's first game-ending shot in the postseason since Aaron Boone's drive against the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.
Andy Pettitte will try to close out the series when he faces former Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano in Game 3 Sunday at the Metrodome.
<B>Angels 4, Red Sox 1</B>At Anaheim, Calif., Jeff Weaver yielded two hits while dominating Boston into the eighth inning, and Maicer Izturis drove home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Angels extended their lead in the AL playoffs to 2-0.Game 3 is early Sunday at Fenway Park, with Boston's Clay Buchholz facing Angels newcomer Scott Kazmir.Erick Aybar followed Izturis' RBI single with a two-run triple during the Angels' two-out rally in the seventh to break up a stellar pitching duel between Weaver and Beckett, Boston's ace and most reliable playoff performer.Aybar's hit chased Beckett, who yielded five hits and four runs in 6 2-3 innings during his first playoff loss in a Red Sox uniform. It was his first defeat in nine postseason starts since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series with Florida.The Red Sox eliminated the Angels in three of the past five postseasons, but they've mustered just one run and eight hits in the series' first two games.Brian Fuentes retired Mike Lowell on a fly ball with two runners on for the final out.
