New York – Jorge Posada hit a tying home run in the fifth inning, then added a three-run, upper-deck drive in the sixth that backed starter Mike Mussina in his return from elbow trouble and led the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Thursday night.
A night after moving past the Boston Red Sox to take over first place in the East for the first time since July 18, the Yankees won for the 10th time in 11 games and opened a season-high one-game lead with 10 remaining.
Mussina (13-8) pitched for the first time since Aug. 29, when he left a start at Seattle with elbow inflammation. The right-hander allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six and walked none, throwing 76 pitches. Baltimore’s only run off him came in the third, and it was unearned.
Luis Matos singled leading off, shortstop Derek Jeter allowed David Newhan’s potential double-play grounder to bounce off his glove for an error, and Bernie Castro singled in the run. With two on and none out, Mussina retired Melvin Mora on a soft liner to Jeter.
Former AL MVP Miguel Tejada followed with a hard drive that Jeter caught with a leap, and the shortstop made a backhand flip to second baseman Robinson Cano for a double play.
Al Leiter gave up run-scoring hits to Tejada and Gibbons in the eighth, and Tanyon Sturtze allowed an RBI grounder to B.J. Surhoff and a run-scoring double to Javy Lopez – runs that were charged to Leiter.
With Mariano Rivera having appeared in three consecutive games, Tom Gordon pitched the ninth for his second save. He allowed a two-out homer to Mora, then got Tejada to ground out on the next pitch.
Gary Sheffield also homered for the Yankees, reaching 30 for the third consecutive season and eighth time overall.
Posada has tried to inspire the Yankees for the stretch run, handing out T-shirts to teammates that say “Grind It” on the front and “There is no trying, there is only doing or not doing” on the back.
He led by example as New York completed a four-game sweep of the Orioles, who at 70-82 are assured their eighth consecutive losing season, the worst stretch for the franchise since the St. Louis Browns/Orioles went 11 in a row from 1946-56.
Bruce Chen (12-10) retired 12 batters in a row before Posada led off the fifth with a drive just to the left of straightaway center, tying the game 1-1.
Then in the sixth, Tejada allowed Cano’s hard one-hopper to shortstop bounce off him for an error. Sheffield’s single moved Cano to second, and Cano slid home ahead of Jay Gibbons’ throw on Hideki Matsui’s single to right for a 2-1 lead.
Posada followed with a drive about five rows into the left-field upper deck that finished Chen.
Chen, who had allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his previous nine starts, gave up five runs – four earned – and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Cano tripled off Aaron Rakers leading off the seventh, a drive about 6 inches from the top of the right-field wall, and scored on Alex Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly. Sheffield’s second homer in three games made it 7-1.
Blue Jays 7, Mariners 5
Toronto – Alex Rios broke a tie with a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help Toronto beat Seattle.
Corey Koskie walked before Rios hit his 10th homer off Joel Piñeiro (7-10).
Rios went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for the Blue Jays, who will play a big part in the pennant race with an upcoming road trip that includes series against the Yankees and Red Sox.
“It’s going to be nice to have a say in it,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
Justin Speier (3-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory.
Miguel Batista got the last two outs of the ninth for his 29th save.
Adrian Beltre’s two-run double in the fifth tied it at 5 and chased Toronto starter Gustavo Chacin, who allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Piñeiro gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings.
