Jeter's hit streak moves to 19 games as New York takes Game 1
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- The streaks continue.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter led off the eighth inning with a single and scored on a double by Hideki Matsui to help the Yankees edge the Rangers, 4-3, in the first game of a doubleheader at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The victory was the second straight for the Yankees. With the single, Jeter extended his current consecutive games hitting streak to 19 games. He has hit safely in 58 of his last 60 games dating back to last season.
In the eventful eighth, Jeter advanced to second base on a wild pitch from Rangers reliever Joaquin Benoit and moved to third on a ground ball by Alex Rodriguez. Jeter trotted home on Matsui's double to the gap in right-center field for the game-winner. Jason Giambi, who was walked intentionally before Matsui, was thrown out at the plate on the play.
Yankees starter Andy Pettitte gave up two runs and five hits in six efficient innings. He walked three batters and struck out five in a 107-pitch outing that appeared to be good enough for his second victory of the season. It wasn't.
Pettitte's replacement, Luis Vizcaino, entered with a 3-2 lead but could not hold it. He retired Rangers catcher Gerald Laird, the first batter he faced. But the next batter, Jerry Hairston Jr., made him pay, hitting a solo home run to left field to tie the game at 3.
In what has become a familiar scene in Texas, Rodriguez was booed as he strolled to the plate in the second inning. He was eventually hit by a pitch from Rangers starter Mike Wood but laughed last, advancing to third base on a throwing error by second baseman Ian Kinsler and eventually motoring home on a ground ball by Matsui to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.
Texas answered in the bottom half of the frame when Kinsler led off the second with a double off Pettitte and scored on a double by Laird to tie the game at 1.
Giambi's home run in the fourth, his fifth of the season, snapped the tie and gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Melky Cabrera extended the lead to two runs in the fifth when he led off the inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Johnny Damon.
The 3-1 lead did not last.
As for Wood, he was charged with five hits and three runs in 6 1/3 innings. Wood was pitching in place of Kevin Millwood, who has been bothered by a sore left hamstring.
Mariano Rivera closed it out for his second save of the season.
BOX SCORE:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_05_03_nyamlb_texmlb_1
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