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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Tampa Bay delayed what Fred McGriff
concedes is probably the inevitable.
McGriff's RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning gave the
Devil Rays a 2-1 victory and prevented the two-time defending World
Series champions from clinching another AL East title Tuesday
night.
|  | | Jorge Posada's excitement with his ninth-inning homer was shortlived when the Devil Rays beat the Yankees in the bottom half of the inning. |
"The Yankees are the Yankees, one of the greatest teams of all
time," McGriff said. "I've been playing the game a long time ...
and it'll take a minor miracle for them to not clinch. If they
don't do it here (Wednesday or Thursday), they'll probably do it in
Baltimore (this weekend)."
Jorge Posada hit a game-tying homer in the top half off Roberto
Hernandez to give New York a chance to wrap up its fourth division
crown in five years. But despite losing for the 10th time in 13
games, the Yankees are assured of at least a tie in the division
and can win it with one more win or losses by Boston and Toronto.
"We wanted to win this thing tonight," said New York manager
Joe Torre, who would also like to see his team finish strong to win
home-field advantage next week.
"I'd like to definitely (open) the first round at home. It
would be important, especially with a 2-2-1 format. You have no
control over who you play. The only thing you can control is where
you play."
The Devil Rays, who damaged the Blue Jays' postseason hopes by
winning three of four at Toronto last weekend, put off any
clinching party for at least one night when they scored in the
ninth off Jeff Nelson (8-4).
"You play with pride in this game, and you don't want to watch
someone else celebrate," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said.
"But like I said before, it may not be in our hands. We just need
to play good, solid baseball baseball like we did tonight."
Randy Winn led off the ninth with a walk off Nelson. After a
sacrifice, Mike Stanton walked Vinny Castilla intentionally. One
out later, McGriff's grounder between first and second base drove
in the winning run.
It was just McGriff's third hit in 25 at-bats against Stanton.
"That's why you go out and play the game," McGriff said. "You
never know."
Hernandez (4-6) got the victory, despite blowing the lead he
inherited from Devil Rays starter Albie Lopez.
Lopez scattered seven hits, struck out six and walked two in
eight innings. The Yankees were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring
position against him and had the tying run thrown out at the plate
in the eighth inning.
Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez was even more impressive -- allowing just two hits, walking one and striking out six in
eight innings. He had a perfect game until Steve Cox singled with
two outs in the fourth.
El Duque didn't allow another runner until the sixth, when
Gerald Williams homered for the first time in 122 at bats -- a
stretch that began Aug. 21.
"He was sensational," Torre said. "He's in there apologizing
to me for giving up one run. I thought he was as good as he's been
all year ... I'm just glad he didn't get tagged with the loss."
Lopez worked out of jams with runners in scoring position in the
first, fifth, sixth and eighth innings for the Devil Rays, who have
bounced back from losing a season-high 10 straight games to win
four of five.
The Devil Rays starter retired David Justice on a foul ball to
end the first, struck out Chuck Knoblauch and Derek Jeter with
runners at first and second in the fifth and struck out Scott
Brosius with the base-loaded to escape the sixth.
Paul O'Neill began the New York eighth with a single and went to
third when Bernie Williams doubled off the wall in left-center. The
Yankees didn't take advantage of the opportunity, though.
Justice flied to right and O'Neill, who returned to the lineup
Friday after missing six games with a sore hip, was thrown out at
the plate by right fielder Jose Guillen. Lopez got out of the
inning when Tino Martinez grounded to first.
O'Neill, who didn't slide, thought he might have beaten the
throw.
"As a runner, you're coming down the line and home plate was
open, and all of a sudden it wasn't," he said. "I don't know if I
slide if I'm safe or if I'm better off just trying to get the foot
in there. Obviously, it happened so quick that you can't do it
over."
Game notes
Jeter went 1-for-4, moving within five hits of his third
straight 200-hit season. He would join Lou Gehrig (1927-29) and Don
Mattingly (1984-86) as the only Yankees to accomplish the feat ...
By shutting out the Yankees for eight innings, Lopez extended a
streak of scoreless innings by Devil Rays starting pitchers to 25
innings ... In his previous four starts, Lopez allowed 23 runs and
34 hits in 18 innings, and lost the games by a combined score of
37-8.
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