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Yankees Prevail, As In Days Of Old Bronx Bombers Win Alcs, Earn A World Series Berth For The First Time Since 1981

Tom Withers Associated Press

The World Series has one team name penciled in, and it’s the one symbolic with baseball excellence: the New York Yankees.

Whether it was clubs led by Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle or Jackson, the Yankees were in the World Series come October. With players named Jeter, Williams, Fielder and Strawberry, they are there again.

“When you play this game, that’s the only place to be in October. I’m ready to go back,” said Wade Boggs, who last played in the Series in 1986 with Boston. “When you get up in your career, you realize how hard it is to get there.”

Back after a 15-year drought, the longest in team history, New York won its 34th American League pennant Sunday with a 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, closing out the best-of-seven series with a dominating performance reminiscent of the great Yankees teams of the past.

Powered by a three-homer third inning and eight strong innings from Andy Pettitte, New York took the series 4-1 by winning three straight games at Camden Yards to finish 9-0 in Baltimore this year.

With Mr. October himself looking on from the dugout, the Yankees added another pennant to the collection and will now enjoy a few days off before opening the World Series on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium against either St. Louis or Atlanta.

“I think we had more talent than they did,” said Reggie Jackson, a Yankees consultant who watched from the dugout in team jacket and hat and joined in the postgame celebration. “One difference I really think is that the leader of this ballclub is the guy in the dugout.”

That would be manager Joe Torre, who was mobbed by his coaches when John Wetteland ended the Orioles’ season by getting Cal Ripken to ground to short for the final out.

With Orioles fans politely applauding the only A.L. team better than theirs this season, the Yankees piled on Wetteland near first base in celebration, just the way their emotional manager was hoping they would.

“I wanted them to celebrate in the middle of the infield,” said Torre, whose baseball career began in 1960. “I just wanted to watch them and as they came back, grab them and hug them and kiss them. I started crying, and that’s easy to say because it was just incredible.”

New York is doing it with two new stars, Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter, and two old ones, Cecil Fielder and Darryl Strawberry.

Named the series MVP, Williams hit .474 (9-for-19) with two homers and six RBIs. The center fielder, along with rookie shortstop Jeter, carried the Yankees offensively through the first three games of the series before New York’s power hitters came around.

The Orioles ended their season in a miserable offensive funk. Baltimore was 5 for 31 with runners in scoring position in the series, including 0 for 14 with two outs.

“They played better than we did and they deserve to be American League champions,” Orioles manager Davey Johnson said. “I hope the Braves get there and they whip their butts.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Yankees 6, Orioles 4 New York Baltimore ab r h bi ab r h bi DJeter ss 5 1 2 0 ByAdsn cf 4 0 0 0 Boggs 3b 5 0 2 0 Zeile 3b 3 1 2 1 BeWms cf 5 1 2 0 RAlmr 2b 4 1 0 0 TMrtnz 1b 5 1 0 0 RPmro 1b 4 0 0 0 Fielder dh 3 1 1 3 Bonilla rf 4 1 1 2 Fox dh 0 0 0 0 CRpken ss 4 0 0 0 Hayes dh 1 0 0 0 Murray dh 3 1 1 1 Strwbr lf 3 1 1 1 Surhoff lf 2 0 0 0 Raines lf 0 0 0 0 Parent c 1 0 0 0 O’Neill rf 3 0 1 0 Hoiles c 2 0 0 0 Leyritz c 3 1 1 1 Sojo 2b 4 0 1 0 Totals 37 6 11 5 Totals 31 4 4 4 New York 006 000 000 - 6 Baltimore 000 001 012 - 4 E-RAlomar (2). DP-Baltimore 1. LOBNew York 8, Baltimore 2. 2B-BeWilliams (3). HR-Fielder (2), Strawberry (3), Leyritz (1), Zeile (3), Bonilla (1), Murray (1). SB-DJeter (2), BeWilliams (1). New York IP H R ER BB SO Pettitte W,1-0 8 3 2 2 1 3 Wetteland 1 1 2 2 1 1 Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO Erickson L,0-1 5 7 6 1 1 5 ARhodes 1 2 0 0 0 1 Mills 1 1 0 0 1 1 RMyers 2 1 0 0 2 1 Mills pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP-ARhodes. T-2:57. A-48,718 (48,262).

This sidebar appeared with the story: Yankees 6, Orioles 4 New York Baltimore ab r h bi ab r h bi DJeter ss 5 1 2 0 ByAdsn cf 4 0 0 0 Boggs 3b 5 0 2 0 Zeile 3b 3 1 2 1 BeWms cf 5 1 2 0 RAlmr 2b 4 1 0 0 TMrtnz 1b 5 1 0 0 RPmro 1b 4 0 0 0 Fielder dh 3 1 1 3 Bonilla rf 4 1 1 2 Fox dh 0 0 0 0 CRpken ss 4 0 0 0 Hayes dh 1 0 0 0 Murray dh 3 1 1 1 Strwbr lf 3 1 1 1 Surhoff lf 2 0 0 0 Raines lf 0 0 0 0 Parent c 1 0 0 0 O’Neill rf 3 0 1 0 Hoiles c 2 0 0 0 Leyritz c 3 1 1 1 Sojo 2b 4 0 1 0 Totals 37 6 11 5 Totals 31 4 4 4 New York 006 000 000 - 6 Baltimore 000 001 012 - 4 E-RAlomar (2). DP-Baltimore 1. LOBNew York 8, Baltimore 2. 2B-BeWilliams (3). HR-Fielder (2), Strawberry (3), Leyritz (1), Zeile (3), Bonilla (1), Murray (1). SB-DJeter (2), BeWilliams (1). New York IP H R ER BB SO Pettitte W,1-0 8 3 2 2 1 3 Wetteland 1 1 2 2 1 1 Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO Erickson L,0-1 5 7 6 1 1 5 ARhodes 1 2 0 0 0 1 Mills 1 1 0 0 1 1 RMyers 2 1 0 0 2 1 Mills pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP-ARhodes. T-2:57. A-48,718 (48,262).