From the first ball hit to the last pitch thrown, the Yankees had trouble getting out of their own way.
Andy Pettitte trudged through his defense’s betrayal for seven-plus innings, surrendering three unearned runs after three errors made a 92-degree evening all the more miserable.
And even after Pettitte left, the Yankees sweated out a bizarre finish brought on by their own ineptitude.
Still, they overcame a landmark solo homer in the eighth by Juan Encarnacion and Mariano Rivera’s throwing error in a harrowing ninth to hold off Detroit and win their third straight, 6-5.
“It was an ugly game, but it was a nice one to win. That’s for sure,” Pettitte said.
The last out was fitting: Rivera threw a high, outside fastball that bounced off Jorge Posada’s glove, but Detroit’s Roger Cedeno was nailed at the plate trying to advance from third on a perfect exchange from Posada to Rivera.
“We didn’t lose it on that play,” Tiger manager Phil Garner said. “We lost it because we couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes.”
If the Yankees (59-41) hadn’t scored two unearned runs of their own without a hit, the outcome would’ve been reversed. They maintained a 1 1/2-game lead on Boston by adding to a 4-3 lead in the seventh.
Posada reached second on a ball Detroit left fielder Bobby Higginson overran and dropped, and later scored on a sac fly by Alfonso Soriano. On Soriano’s flyout, Higginson threw errantly to third base, and the ball got away and allowed Shane Spencer to score.
The Yanks led 6-3 after seven, but Robert Fick smoked a line shot over the right-field fence leading off the eighth, tagging Pettitte (10-6) for his only earned run and chasing him.
Pettitte allowed seven hits and four runs, striking out four without a walk.
“He stayed focused and stayed with what he wanted to do,” Posada said. “Nothing really affected him. He wanted to pitch and he knew we could get him some runs.”
Three batters later, Encarnacion crushed an 0-1 fastball from Ramiro Mendoza over the Yankee bullpen in left-center, cutting the lead to 6-5. It was believed to be the first homer ever hit into the reconfigured left-field bleachers, which were remodeled in 1976.
“First-class seating and a complimentary breakfast,” joked Bernie Williams, who sparked a 13-hit attack with a two-run jack off Steve Sparks (7-5) in the first.
“Like a golf ball,” Posada said.
That blast provoked a call for Rivera. He struck out Jose Macias on three pitches to end the eighth and eventually earned his 33rd save. Rivera threw away a comebacker by Cedeno, allowing him to second to begin the ninth. After Damion Easley fouled out bunting, Rivera induced a groundout to first that moved Cedeno to third.
Facing pinch-hitter Randall Simon, Rivera threw wild. Posada, who took a foul ball off the knee earlier in the inning, ran down the errant pitch and fired to Rivera to end the game.
“I’m glad he didn’t run over me,” Rivera said. “I’ve never seen [a finish] like that.”
Said Cedeno: “It’s hard to tell how far it’s going to be. If you have a chance, you have to try to make it. They made a great play – an exceptional play.”