Mussina Propels Yankees to 90th Win And Two Away From Playoff Berth
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A playoff berth all but clinched, Mike Mussina pitched the Yankees within 1 1/2 games of Boston in the AL East with a week to go.
Mussina won his 250th game, backup catcher Jose Molina had three hits, three RBIs and a key tag play and Joba Chamberlain got his first career save as the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7–5 yesterday.
New York overcame a 3-0 deficit and reached 90 wins for the seventh straight season, the third-longest streak in major league history behind the 1947-58 Yankees and 1904-12 Chicago Cubs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau,
The Yankees (90–65) won for the 14th time in 17 games and moved within one of the Red Sox (92–64) in the loss column. New York remained 5 1/2 games ahead Detroit in the wild-card race and lowered its magic number to two for clinching a 13th straight postseason appearance.
Melky Cabrera threw out a runner at the plate for the second straight day, raising his assists total for the season to 16 — including a major league-leading 14 as a center fielder. Replays were inconclusive on whether Molina tagged Gregg Zaun on the helmet or missed the sliding runner, and Toronto manager John Gibbons argued the call by plate umpire Derryl Cousins.
Cabrera’s fourth-inning throw kept the score 3–3, and the Yankees broke through for three runs in the fifth off Dustin McGowan (11–10) on RBI singles from Robinson Cano, Doug Mientkiewicz and Molina.
Molina, starting after Jorge Posada caught consecutive extra-inning games, also drove in the Yankees’ first run and added an RBI double in the seventh off Josh Banks that made it 7-5.
Matt Stairs hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Luis Vizcaino — a drive into the center-field bleachers. After Aaron Hill singled and Gregg Zaun walked — and with the sellout crowd of 54,983 chanting “We Want Joba!” the Yankees brought in the rookie sensation. Pitching with one day of rest after throwing two innings and 30 pitches Friday night, Chamberlain struck out Adam Lind on a slider in the dirt. He then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth — striking out two — for his first career save.
Mussina (11–10) won his third consecutive start since he rejoined the Yankees’ rotation, allowing three runs and seven hits in seven innings and improving to 23–11 against Toronto.
