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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) – Ted Lilly chose the wrong day for his first
major league win.
|  | | Chuck Knoblauch went 4-for-5 to continue his torrid tear; he has 26 hits in his last 51 at-bats. |
Lilly's feat was overshadowed by Chuck Knoblauch's hitting and
Joe Torre's 500th win as Yankees manager as New York beat the
Oakland Athletics 7-6 Saturday.
The rookie left-hander didn't even get to keep the game ball
from his first win, because closer Mariano Rivera gave it to his
manager instead.
"He gets lost in this one," Torre said. "He picked a bad day
to win. I'm going to keep the ball because Mariano gave it to me.
I'll give him one of the lineup cards because I kept two."
Lilly, who is solidifying his role as New York's fifth starter
after beginning the season in the minors, had no complaints.
"I'm not going to be picky," he said. "Regardless of whether
I got the game ball, I'll always remember this for the rest of my
life."
It was fitting that Knoblauch starred on the day that Torre
became the sixth manager to win 500 games with the Yankees.
Torre has stood by Knoblauch during his throwing woes the past
two seasons and showed his faith in Knoblauch's value to the team
when he decided to move the former second baseman to left field
this spring.
"He's great to play for because he's a great communicator,"
said Knoblauch, who went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
"He's experienced everything on and off the field. He had good
years and bad years. He's run the gamut. When he talks he has a
certain validity behind it because we know he's been in our
place."
According to Torre, Knoblauch has felt more at ease at the plate
this season now that he has been relieved of playing second base.
The sparkplug of the Yankees offense is on an 11-game hitting
streak, going 26-for-51 during that span to raise his average to
.352. He has nine multihit games in the streak.
"We have seen what a relaxed Chuck Knoblauch can give us,"
Torre said. "This is the most fun I've seen him have here. When he
moved to left field, he seemed more relaxed. It's great to see him
this way."
Knoblauch doubled in the first, singled and scored in the third,
had an RBI single in the fourth and hit a two-run homer in the
sixth against Tim Hudson (2-3).
Knoblauch, booed at times during his throwing woes the past two
seasons, got a standing ovation before grounding out in the eighth
inning.
Hudson, a 20-game winner last year, gave up 12 hits and seven
runs in six innings – the second straight start he has allowed
seven runs.
"He's just getting some bad breaks here and there," manager
Art Howe said.
The Athletics (8-16), the defending AL West champions, fell a
season-low eight games below .500 and are off to the second-worst
start in Oakland history.
"We have good character in this clubhouse and I think we'll
turn it around," Hudson said. "We know we're a good ballclub."
Lilly (1-0) didn't give up a hit in the first four innings of
his fifth career start. He allowed three runs, two hits and three
walks in 5 2-3 innings, leaving to a standing ovation for the
second time in as many starts this year.
He became just the second Yankees starter to get a win in the
past 17 games.
Rivera allowed a two-run homer to Olmedo Saenz in the ninth that
brought Oakland within one before finishing for his fifth save.
The Yankees players congratulated Torre on joining Joe McCarthy
(1,460), Casey Stengel (1,149), Miller Huggins (1,067), Ralph Houk
(944), Billy Martin (556) in the 500-win club.
"The people I'm sharing it with are special to Yankee
tradition," said Torre, who is 500-333 with New York. "I knew
Casey, Ralph and Billy. To join that group is special."
With one out in the third, Knoblauch singled to center and stole
second. After a walk to Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill snapped an
0-for-13 string with an RBI single. Bernie Williams followed with a
sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Scott Brosius had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, followed by
Knoblauch's RBI single that made it 4-0.
The A's got to Lilly in the fourth when Adam Piatt led off with
a walk, went to third on Saenz's double and scored on a wild pitch.
Ramon Hernandez followed with his first homer of the year.
Tino Martinez's RBI double made it 5-3 in the fifth and
Knoblauch hit his second homer in three games in the sixth.
Jason Giambi's sacrifice fly in the eighth cut it to 7-4.
Game notes
The A's started the 1994 season 7-17. ... The Yankees were
3-for-3 in steal attempts against Hernandez, who has thrown out
only two of 24 runners this season. ... The Yankees had two
sacrifice bunts after having three coming in. ... Oakland is 1-7 in
one-run games.
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Sources: Yankees rejected Reese deal 10 days ago
RECAPS
Kansas City 8
Boston 2
Tampa Bay 7
Detroit 3
NY Yankees 7
Oakland 6
Anaheim 4
Toronto 1
Seattle 8
Chi. White Sox 5
Cleveland 7
Texas 3
Baltimore 5
Minnesota 2
Milwaukee 8
Montreal 4
NY Mets 6
St. Louis 5
Houston 6
Florida 4
Cincinnati 9
Colorado 4
San Francisco 5
Chicago Cubs 0
Atlanta 3
Arizona 1
San Diego 8
Pittsburgh 1
Los Angeles 7
Philadelphia 6
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