A World Of Difference Yankees Keep Series Serious With Road Win

Away from the bedlam of the Bronx, the New York Yankees figured out how to beat the Braves - and just in time, too.

David Cone gave the Yankees six good innings, Bernie Williams hit another home run and the bullpen did the job. It all came together Tuesday night for a 5-2 victory over Atlanta that cut the Braves’ lead to 2-1, putting the drama back into a World Series that was on the verge of becoming a walkover.

Coming off two discouraging losses at home, the Yankees became the first team ever to win six consecutive road games in the postseason. The string started in Texas, continued in Baltimore and worked once more in Atlanta.

“Sometimes, playing at home in the postseason isn’t an advantage. You get so charged up that you lose focus of what you have to do,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “You get maybe too emotional.

“I think any time in a short series when you win, the momentum is on your side,” he said. “Hopefully, we can build on this.”

Relievers Mariano Rivera, Graeme Lloyd and John Wetteland finished off a victory that ended New York’s six-game losing streak in the World Series that dated to 1981. It also stopped a five-game winning streak by the Braves during which they had outscored opponents 48-2.

“I think the mindset, generally, of the team was that we were a little bit embarrassed,” Cone said.

“This was our formula,” he said. “Get to the bullpen, get Bernie to get big hits, get a key defensive play.”

New York will try to make it 7-0 away from Yankee Stadium tonight when Kenny Rogers pitches against Atlanta’s Denny Neagle. Rogers originally was dropped from the rotation, but restored when a rainout took away the travel day and forced the Yankees to use four starters.

No team in baseball has overcome a 3-0 deficit in the postseason, and New York won’t have to, either. After losing twice at home, the Yankees shook up their lineup, benching slumping Tino Martinez and hobbling Wade Boggs and Paul O’Neill.

Torre’s moves worked. Darryl Strawberry, Cecil Fielder and Charlie Hayes stepped in and each made contributions that helped the Yankees take a 2-1 lead after six innings against Tom Glavine.

The Yankees broke it open with a three-run eighth, highlighted by Williams’ homer and Fielder’s double off Greg McMichael. Williams’ sixth postseason homer tied the record set by Bob Robertson of Pittsburgh in 1971 and matched by Lenny Dykstra of Philadelphia in 1993.

Williams, MVP of the A.L. championship series, had been hitless in the first two games before an RBI single in the first inning.

Cone stayed ahead with nasty breaking pitches, buckling the knees of several Braves hitters for six innings. He gave up four hits, the same total allowed by Glavine in seven innings.

“David Cone is still tough, even when he’s losing his stuff, he can get you out,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He’s not going to give in, and he didn’t give in.”

Cone’s key moment came in the sixth, when the Braves loaded the bases with one out. He got Fred McGriff on a popup, walked Ryan Klesko to force home a run that drew Atlanta within 2-1 and retired NLCS MVP Javy Lopez on a foul popup.

Yankees 5, Braves 2

New York AB R H BI BB SO

Avg. Raines lf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .333 DJeter ss 3 1 1 0 1 1 .250 BeWilliams cf 5 2 2 3 0 1 .167 Fielder 1b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .273 1-Fox pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 —- TiMartinez 1b 0 0 0 0 1 0 .143 Hayes 3b 5 0 0 0 0 3 .000 Strawberry rf 3 0 1 1 1 2 .167 Duncan 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .111 Sojo 2b 1 0 1 1 0 0 .500 Girardi c 2 0 0 0 1 2 .000 Cone p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000 a-Leyritz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250 MRivera p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Lloyd p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —- Wetteland p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —- Totals 33 5 8 5 6 11 Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Grissom cf 4 1 3 0 0 0 .500 Lemke 2b 4 0 1 1 0 0 .417 CpJones 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .300 McGriff 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .364 Klesko lf 3 0 0 1 1 2 .000 JLopez c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .250 AJones rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .273 Blauser ss 4 0 0 0 0 2 .111 Glavine p 1 1 0 0 1 0 .000 b-Polonia ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 McMichael p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —- Clontz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —- Bielecki p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —- c-Pendleton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 Totals 31 2 6 2 5 7 New York 100 100 030 - 5 Atlanta 000 001 010 - 2 a-grounded out for Cone in the 7th. b-walked for Glavine in the 7th. c-grounded out for Bielecki in the 9th.

1-ran for Fielder in the 8th.

E-DJeter (1), Blauser (1). LOBNew York 9, Atlanta 7. 2B-Fielder (1). 3B-Grissom (1). HR-BeWilliams (1) off McMichael. RBIsBeWilliams 3 (3), Strawberry (1), Sojo (1), Lemke (2), Klesko (1). CS-AJones (1), Polonia (1). S-DJeter, Girardi. GIDPLemke.

Runners left in scoring position-New York 6 (Raines, Hayes 2, Cone 2, MRivera); Atlanta 2 (JLopez 2).

Runners moved up-Fielder, Hayes 2, Leyritz.

DP-New York 1 (Fielder, DJeter and Fielder); Atlanta 1 (AJones and McGriff).

New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Cone W,1-0 6 4 1 1 4 3 97 1.50 MRivera 1-1/2 2 1 1 1 1 35 3.86 Lloyd 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.00 Wetteland S,1 1 0 0 0 0 2 25 0.00

Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Glavine L,0-1 7 4 2 1 3 8 110 1.29 McMichael 0 3 3 3 0 0 7 27.00 Clontz 1 1 0 0 1 1 15 0.00 Bielecki 1 0 0 0 2 2 18 0.00 McMichael pitched to 3 batters in the 8th.

Inherited runners-scored-Lloyd 1-0, Clontz 1-1.

IBBoff Clontz (Strawberry) 1.

T-3:22. A-51,843 (52,710).