BY THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Published October 31, 2001
NEW YORK (AP) Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera showed the Arizona Diamondbacks they know a little bit about pitching in the World Series, too.
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The Rocket won when the New York Yankees couldn"t afford to lose, shutting down the Diamondbacks over seven innings for a 2-1 win yesterday night that cut Arizona"s lead to two games-to-one.
Pumped and psyched, Clemens allowed only three hits and struck out nine. Rivera threw two perfect innings in relief, and that was it for Game 3.
"I knew it was a game that we had to have," Clemens said.
"It was exciting to be part of everything. It was something I"ll always have with me," he said.
The Yankees, who hit only .102 in losing to Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson at Bank One Ballpark, are still struggling at the plate.
They"ll see Schilling again tonight in Game 4. There was a chance Miguel Batista would pitch, but Arizona manager Bob Brenly said he would bring back Schilling on three days" rest.
"He"s the right guy," Brenly said. "He said all along he"s prepared to pitch."
Orlando Hernandez is set to start for New York tonight.
An early home run by Jorge Posada and a tiebreaking single by Scott Brosius in the sixth were enough to win for the Yankees yesterday. Especially when Arizona managed three hits, the same total Schilling and Johnson served up.
No baseball team has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit to win a postseason series. Thanks to Clemens" win and Rivera"s save, the Yankees won"t have to try to do it, either.
The win, before President Bush and a quieter-than-usual crowd of 55,820 bundled up against the cold and wind at Yankee Stadium, also ensured something new: Baseball will have a Mr. November, with Game 5 scheduled for tomorrow.
