Game Of The Year - Rangers Beat Yankees in 13th

Rangers win marathon game thanks to two huge homers from Nelson Cruz (above). (AP Photo/LM Otero)

With one swing of the bat, Nelson Cruz may have erased much of the bad karma the Texas Rangers (78-63) have built up during the last month of the season against a likely playoff foe in the New York Yankees (87-54). Cruz smoked the first pitch he saw off Yankees' reliever Chad Gaudin to start the bottom of the 13th, straight over the right-center field wall and into the Rangers' bullpen for the walk-off win.

"We stood up there tonight, went toe-to-toe with those guys and got the win," Rangers' manager Ron Washington said.
"It was important for those guys in the clubhouse to know that we're capable, especially after we were down 4-1."

With possible American League MVP Josh Hamilton looking on from the bench, other Rangers had to step up at the plate and Cruz did just that. Just as he did to start the 13th, the Rangers' right fielder wasted no time in the eighth inning tying up the game, blasting a first-pitch fastball (this time from Yankees' reliever Joba Chamberlain) 427 feet into the left field stands.

"It's not like he's knocking guys in from second, he's hitting solo homers, which isn't easy to do," Rangers third-baseman Michael Young said.

Lost in the Cruz-extravaganza was the fact that Julio Borbon was the Rangers' offense for the first seven innings of the game. Borbon knocked in each of the Rangers' first four runs (a career-high), leading the team back to within striking distance so that Cruz could deliver the final two blows.

On the mound, each team's starter allowed four runs on six hits.

Rangers' starter C.J. Wilson lasted only three innings as he had trouble both with his control and getting on the same page with catcher Bengie Molina. Wilson did strike out five batters, but also walked three and had a wild pitch, all while shaking off Molina at least half a dozen times in his shortest outing of the season.

Former Ranger Alex Rodriguez, who hadn't had a hit in his previous 12 career at-bats against Wilson, put the Yanks ahead with a two-run double in the third. RBI singles from designated hitter Marcus Thames and catcher Francisco Cervelli put N.Y. ahead 4-1 going into the bottom of the inning.

Rangers' reliever Matt Harrison walked in the Yankees only other run in the sixth. Rangers' pitchers did a good job of pitching out of jams for the game. New York was 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position for the game and left 18 men on base.

"We left a lot of guys on base," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Good teams find a way to get those guys in."

Javier Vazquez got the start for the Yankees and did marginally better than C.J., lasting five innings and walking only two. The Rangers also had a rough time getting base runners in. Texas was only 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight themselves.

Both starter's brief outing led to an A.L. record 18 pitchers used by both teams. The Rangers tied the MLB record with 11 relievers used on their own in what was a wild, 5 hour and 12 minute game.

Before Cruz's heroics, the Yankees actually loaded the bases in the top of the 13th against Scott Feldman (W, 7-10). Rodriguez reached on an infield single, Yanks' second-baseman Robinson Cano singled to left, and Feldman walked center-fielder Curtis Granderson - loading the bases for catcher Chad Moeller. On a full count, Feldman got Moeller to fly out to center, setting the stage for Cruz in the bottom of the inning.

This win is one of the lone bright spots in what has been a dismal second half of the season for Texas. The Rangers are 18-18 since the start of August, having dealt with a myriad of injuries along with some inconsistent play. Luckily for the Rangers, guys are starting to get healthy and back into the lineup and it's beginning to show as the team's won three straight.

Game two of the three game set is scheduled for Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Tommy Hunter (12-3, 3.99 ERA) will take the mound for Texas and A.J. Burnett (10-13, 5.15) will get the nod for New York. After winning three straight starts, allowing three runs or less in each, Hunter allowed seven runs on seven hits in seven innings in a 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays Monday night. Burnett has lost four of his last five starts, allowing an average of 5.25 runs per game.

News and Notes:

• With the walk-off bomb, Cruz has a league-leading three walk-off homers this season.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)