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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) -- It didn't matter to the New York Yankees that
they had just absorbed their fifth straight loss, a 13-2
embarrassment against the Baltimore Orioles.
|  | | Andy Pettitte got lit up early and failed in his bid to win 20 games. |
And the Yankees offered no apologies for capturing their third
straight AL East title on a night when their winningest pitcher was
victimized by a 10-run inning and the offense once again sputtered.
The Yankees were quite content to back into the playoffs Friday
night when the Boston Red Sox lost to Tampa Bay 8-6. It is the
first time they reached the postseason in six straight seasons.
They celebrated in appropriate fashion, dousing each other with
champagne that had been on ice for so long that it should have been
frozen in the bottle.
"I guess that's the secret to having a big lead, that you can
squander it. Now that this is over with, we can concentrate on what
we want to do," manager Joe Torre said, seconds before he absorbed
a champagne shower, courtesy of shortstop Derek Jeter.
Although the Yankees have lost 13 of 16 and dropped their last
three games by a combined 35-6 score, the two-time defending World
Series champions will enter the postseason coming off the 38th
first-place finish in franchise history.
"We won the division, this is every team's goal. We deserve to
celebrate," Jeter said.
But the Yankees are struggling. They've lost seven straight on
the road and managed only six hits Friday after Torre held a rare
team meeting before the game in an effort to reverse the losing
trend.
"It's been tough. Obviously you don't like to lose and we,
basically, have been getting blown out," Jeter said. "So, we've
got to change some things around, change our luck around, and we've
got a couple of days to do it."
The final score of the Boston-Tampa Bay game was posted on the scoreboard with New York batting in the ninth. Some Yankees fans at Camden Yards stood and cheered the result.
So did the Yankees.
"We really couldn't go crazy on the bench because we were getting beat down," Jeter said. "But I know everyone was happy, and now we get a chance to enjoy it."
Chris Richard hit two homers for the Orioles, including a
three-run shot in the record-setting 10-run second inning. Cal
Ripken also homered, his first since returning from a two-month
stint on the disabled list Sept. 1.
Baltimore's Chuck McElroy (3-0), making his second straight
start after 603 relief appearances, allowed three hits in six
innings, the longest stint of his career.
But Mike Hargrove, who took the Cleveland Indians to the
playoffs in five straight seasons before coming to Baltimore, knows
the significance of the game was not that the Orioles improved to
72-88.
"I feel very good for those guys, to go ahead and clinch this
thing," he said. "I'm glad that they clinched it the way they
did, instead of beating us."
The Orioles set an AL mark with their second 10-run inning in as
many games, following up their team-record outburst in the fourth
against Toronto on Thursday by scoring 10 runs against Andy
Pettitte (19-9) and Dwight Gooden in the second.
Pettitte opened the inning by walking three straight batters.
Brook Fordyce then singled in two runs, and another run scored as
the Yankees missed a double play when second baseman Chuck
Knoblauch threw high on the relay.
Brady Anderson walked before Jerry Hairston, Delino DeShields,
Albert Belle and Ripken hit RBI singles to put Baltimore up 7-0 and
chase Pettitte.
Gooden struck out Melvin Mora before Richard hit a three-run
homer to right. Fordyce flied to left to end the inning.
It was the most runs allowed in an inning by the Yankees since Boston scored 11 on May 31, 1998.
The only other major league team to score 10 runs in an inning
in two straight games was the Houston Astros, who scored 11 and 10
in a doubleheader against the New York Mets on July 30, 1969.
Ripken hit a solo shot and Richard connected with a man on
against Jay Tessmer in the eighth to make it 13-1.
The Yankees got a run in the ninth, then calmly walked off the
field into the clubhouse to pop a few dozen corks.
Game notes
Ripken's two RBI gave him 1,623 career, passing former
teammate Harold Baines for 20th in major league history. ... Belle's RBI gave him 100 for the ninth straight season. Only Jimmie
Foxx, Lou Gehrig and Al Simmons have longer streaks. ... Jeter went
0-for-1, walking once and twice getting hit by a pitch from McElroy, to remain one hit short of his third straight 200-hit season. ... The Orioles have scored 36 runs in their last two games, a club record.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Baltimore Clubhouse
Yankees finally win ... a coin flip
Yanks, A's may play makeup games on Monday
RECAPS
Baltimore 13
NY Yankees 2
Cleveland 8
Toronto 4
Detroit 1
Minnesota 0
Tampa Bay 8
Boston 6
Chi. White Sox 6
Kansas City 4
Anaheim 9
Seattle 3
Oakland 7
Texas 5
Florida 7
Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh 8
Chicago Cubs 4
NY Mets 11
Montreal 2
Colorado 4
Atlanta 2
Milwaukee 13
Houston 3
Cincinnati 8
St. Louis 1
San Francisco 4
Arizona 3
Los Angeles 3
San Diego 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Derek Jeter says the Yankees have a couple days to get things together.
wav: 78 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Glenallen Hill says winning the division is a relief.
wav: 129 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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