New York Yankees Win ALCS Game 2

N E W   Y O R K, Oct. 11, 2000 -- Just when it seemed the Yankees’ latest dynasty was crumbling, New York’s dormant offense awoke in time to tie theAL championship series at a game apiece.

Bernie Williams ended a record 21-inning scoreless streak withan RBI single that sparked a seven-run eighth inning, and New Yorkrallied past the Seattle Mariners 7-1 today.

Orlando Hernandez, pitching on his birthday, improved to 7-0with a 1.22 ERA in postseason play, allowing six hits and strikingout seven in eight innings on an afternoon of brilliant sunshine.

But as twilight turned to dusk, it seemed like the Yankees’hopes for a third straight World Series title were fading away.

Yankees Shock FansNew York was 12-for-58 (.207) against the Mariners in the first19 innings of the series.

Then, suddenly, New York shocked Yankee Stadium by going 8-for-8to start the eighth inning, the crowd of 55,317 rocking the oldballpark with every hit.

Seattle’s bullpen, which had pitched 15 scoreless innings in thepostseason when Arthur Rhodes took the mound at the start of theinning, got blown apart, wasting six shutout innings by starterJohn Halama.

David Justice, angered when umpires ruled he didn’t check hisswing on a 1-1 pitch, started the big inning with a double toleft-center that hit less than a foot from the top of the wall.

Yanks Break Scoreless StreakAt that point, the Yankees were 0-for-5 with runners in scoringposition and 0-for-13 in the series. The 21-inning scoreless streakhad tied the team postseason record, set against the New YorkGiants in the 1921 and 1922 World Series.

Williams brought that to an end, slapping a single to center offRhodes and Tino Martinez followed with a sinking liner to left thatbounced off the glove of a diving Al Martin for a single thatallowed Williams to take second.

Jorge Posada then hit a smash that rolled off the glove of a divingMark McLemore in the hole between first and second, bounding intoleft field as Williams scored.