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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Lone Rangers’ Goof Costly Yankees Make Most Of Blunder, Even Series With 5-4 Victory

Associated Press

Television cameras caught fans behind the Yankees’ dugout advising Charlie Hayes to bunt. He smiled and followed their suggestion.

What would happen next, however, came as a total surprise.

Dean Palmer, who left the bases loaded in the top of the 12th, fielded Hayes’ bunt but threw wildly past first base in the bottom of the inning Wednesday night, giving the New York Yankees a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers that evened their A.L. playoff series at 1-1.

Despite two more home runs from Juan Gonzalez, Texas could not hold a 4-1 lead.

Derek Jeter opened the 12th with a single off loser Mike Stanton, who then walked Tim Raines on a full count. Mike Henneman relieved, and Hayes bunted the first pitch toward Palmer at third base.

Palmer fielded the ball cleanly, but skipped his throw to first past second baseman Mark McLemore, covering on the play. Jeter paused briefly at third before sprinting home when he saw the ball bounce away.

“It was one of those games where the first team to make a mistake was going to lose,” Jeter said.

Texas led the majors in fielding this season. In the playoff opener Tuesday night, Palmer hit a home run and also made a diving, backhanded stop that helped prevent New York from breaking loose in the first inning.

But he couldn’t make the easy play on Hayes’ bunt.

“It was a little bit wet,” Palmer said. “Still, it’s a routine play.”

Gonzalez, who hit a three-run homer in the playoff opener, connected twice as Texas took an early lead. Cecil Fielder helped rally the Yankees with a home run and a tying single in the eighth.

The best-of-5 series now shifts to Texas. Jimmy Key will start Game 3 for the Yankees against Darren Oliver on Friday night.

“If we had lost, we’d have had to go to Texas and win three in a row, and that’s too tough,” Jeter said. “It’s still going to be a struggle, but we like our chances.”

The odds are in the Rangers’ favor with the remainder of the series to be played at The Ballpark in Arlington. Texas has owned New York at home, winning 13 of the last 16 games there, including five of six this season.

The win snapped a four-game postseason losing streak for the Yankees, whose last playoff victory was a thrilling, 7-5 win in 15 innings over Seattle last October.

Palmer had his chance to put the Rangers ahead in the 12th.

Kenny Rogers, scheduled to start Game 4 for the Yankees, made his first relief appearance in three years and walked Will Clark, loading the bases with two outs. After Brian Boehringer relieved, Palmer flied out to right.

Boehringer wound up the winning pitcher.

Trailing 4-3, the Yankees tied it in the eighth off Jeff Russell.

Bernie Williams singled and hustled into second when Tino Martinez flied out to deep left. Fielder, whose homer had brought the Yankees within 4-2 in the fourth, lined a single. As Williams slid home with the tying run, many of the Yankees bolted from their dugout to greet him.

Texas starter Ken Hill allowed five hits in six-plus innings before giving way to Dennis Cook with two runners on in the seventh. Cook gave up a sacrifice fly to Hayes, pinch-hitting for Wade Boggs, that made it 4-3.

For the second straight night, it was Gonzalez who led the Rangers. He hit a solo homer in the second off Andy Pettitte and added a three-run shot in the third to put Texas ahead 4-1.

Gonzalez, who hit 47 homers during the regular season, has seven RBIs in the series.

Pettitte, who won 13 of his 21 regular-season games following Yankees losses, gave up only four hits in 6-1/3 innings but was stung by six walks.

Mariano Rivera pitched 2-2/3 innings of hitless relief for New York, combining with Pettitte to retire 13 straight from the fifth through the ninth innings.

With the score tied 1-1, Kevin Elster doubled to open the third off Pettitte, who retired the next two before giving up a crucial walk to Rusty Greer. Up came Gonzalez, and like he did in the second inning - and on Tuesday against David Cone - he homered to left.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Yankees 5, Rangers 4 (12) Texas New York ab r h bi ab r h bi Hmlton cf 6 0 2 0 Raines lf 4 0 1 0 IRdrgz c 4 0 0 0 Boggs 3b 3 0 0 0 Greer lf 5 1 0 0 Hayes 3b 1 0 0 1 JGnzlz rf 5 2 3 4 O’Neill rf 5 0 1 0 WClark 1b 4 0 1 0 BeWms cf 3 1 1 0 Palmer 3b 6 0 1 0 TMrtnz 1b 4 1 0 0 Tttleton dh 3 0 0 0 Fielder dh 3 1 2 2 McLmr 2b 4 0 0 0 Fox dh 0 0 0 0 Elster ss 4 1 1 0 Strwbr dh 1 0 0 0 Duncan 2b 5 0 0 0 Leyritz c 2 0 0 1 Girardi c 1 1 0 0 DJeter ss 5 1 3 0 Totals 41 4 8 4 Totals 37 5 8 4 Texas 013 000 000 000 - 4 New York 010 100 110 001 - 5 No outs when winning run scored. E-Palmer (1). DP-Texas 1, New York 1. LOBTexas 11, New York 9. 2B-Elster (2), DJeter (1). HR-JGonzalez 2 (3), Fielder (1). S-IRodriguez, McLemore, Raines, Hayes. SF-Hayes. Texas IP H R ER BB SO KHill 6 5 3 3 3 1 Cook 1 0 0 0 0 0 Russell 2-1/3 2 1 1 0 0 Stanton L,0-1 1-2/3 1 1 0 3 1 Henneman 0 0 0 0 0 0 New York IP H R ER BB SO Pettitte 6-1/3 4 4 4 6 3 MRivera 2-2/3 0 0 0 0 1 Wetteland 2 2 0 0 1 2 Lloyd 0 1 0 0 0 0 JNelson 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 Rogers 0 0 0 0 1 0 Bhrngr W,1-0 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 KHill pitched to 2 batters in the 7th, Lloyd pitched to 1 batter in the 12th, Rogers pitched to 1 batter in the 12th, Stanton pitched to 2 batters in the 12th, Henneman pitched to 1 batter in the 12th. HBPby KHill (Leyritz). WP-Pettitte. T-4:25. A-57,156 (57,545).

This sidebar appeared with the story: Yankees 5, Rangers 4 (12) Texas New York ab r h bi ab r h bi Hmlton cf 6 0 2 0 Raines lf 4 0 1 0 IRdrgz c 4 0 0 0 Boggs 3b 3 0 0 0 Greer lf 5 1 0 0 Hayes 3b 1 0 0 1 JGnzlz rf 5 2 3 4 O’Neill rf 5 0 1 0 WClark 1b 4 0 1 0 BeWms cf 3 1 1 0 Palmer 3b 6 0 1 0 TMrtnz 1b 4 1 0 0 Tttleton dh 3 0 0 0 Fielder dh 3 1 2 2 McLmr 2b 4 0 0 0 Fox dh 0 0 0 0 Elster ss 4 1 1 0 Strwbr dh 1 0 0 0 Duncan 2b 5 0 0 0 Leyritz c 2 0 0 1 Girardi c 1 1 0 0 DJeter ss 5 1 3 0 Totals 41 4 8 4 Totals 37 5 8 4 Texas 013 000 000 000 - 4 New York 010 100 110 001 - 5 No outs when winning run scored. E-Palmer (1). DP-Texas 1, New York 1. LOBTexas 11, New York 9. 2B-Elster (2), DJeter (1). HR-JGonzalez 2 (3), Fielder (1). S-IRodriguez, McLemore, Raines, Hayes. SF-Hayes. Texas IP H R ER BB SO KHill 6 5 3 3 3 1 Cook 1 0 0 0 0 0 Russell 2-1/3 2 1 1 0 0 Stanton L,0-1 1-2/3 1 1 0 3 1 Henneman 0 0 0 0 0 0 New York IP H R ER BB SO Pettitte 6-1/3 4 4 4 6 3 MRivera 2-2/3 0 0 0 0 1 Wetteland 2 2 0 0 1 2 Lloyd 0 1 0 0 0 0 JNelson 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 Rogers 0 0 0 0 1 0 Bhrngr W,1-0 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 KHill pitched to 2 batters in the 7th, Lloyd pitched to 1 batter in the 12th, Rogers pitched to 1 batter in the 12th, Stanton pitched to 2 batters in the 12th, Henneman pitched to 1 batter in the 12th. HBPby KHill (Leyritz). WP-Pettitte. T-4:25. A-57,156 (57,545).