Who says the New York Yankees can only win games when the hit a boatload of home runs? The Yankees won Saturday, defeating the New York Mets, 9-3, to take the Subway Series two games to one, and Curtis Granderson did hit a home run for the Yankees, his 16th. Eight of the Yankees' nine runs, however, came via something other than the home run.
The Yankees exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning, turning a 3-1 deficit into a comfortable 9-3 advantage -- the score they would eventually win by.
Mets starter Mike Pelfrey was cruising until the seventh inning. The Yankees, though, chased Pelfrey and two relievers while sending 13 batters to the plate in the decisive seventh inning.
With the bases loaded and no one following sa single by Brett Gardnerr, a walk to Chris Dickerson and Francisco Cervelli being with a pitch Derek Jeter hit a game-tying two-run single up the middle. Dickerson drove home two runs later in the inning with a single and Gardner hit a two-run double.
The Yankee bullpen pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, with Luis Ayala going 1.1 innings for the win. The Mets scored all three of their runs in the second inning on on RBI hits from Willie Harris and Jason Pridie, and a run-scoring groundout from Ronny Paulino. Yankee starter Ivan Nova lasted 6.2 innings despite surrendering 11 hits.
The Yankees are 25-20, and remained percentage points ahead of Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East. The Mets are 22-24.