Orioles 3, Yankees 2
BALTIMORE - Chris Davis had a two-run single, and Mark Reynolds added an RBI single while starter Wei-Yin Chen threw 6 1/3 solid innings as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the New York Yankees, 3-2, in Game 2 of their American League Division Series on Monday night.
The win enabled Baltimore to tie the best-of-five series at one game apiece. The series now shifts to New York for Game 3 on Wednesday at 7:37 p.m.
Davis gave the Orioles the lead for good with his two-run single in the fourth. Reynolds pitched in with an RBI single in the sixth, and that proved to be enough, thanks to Chen and the Baltimore bullpen.
The Orioles were 29-9 in one-run games during the regular season and came up with another on Monday.
Chen was solid and earned the win in his first playoff start. The left-hander bounced back from a shaky first inning to give up two runs on eight hits.
Darren O'Day got a key out in the seventh, and Brian Matusz threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jim Johnson then made up for his Game 1 problems to close it in the ninth.
New York starter Andy Pettitte made his 43rd postseason start - a major league record - and nearly matched Chen, but took the loss.
Pettitte only ran into trouble twice, but the Orioles scored both times. He gave up three runs on seven hits in seven-plus innings.
The Yankees scored in the first inning for the second straight game and took a 1-0 lead thanks to a bizarre play involving Ichiro Suzuki.
After Alex Rodriguez lined into a double play, the Yankees were left with Ichiro on first and two outs. Robinson Cano then ripped a shot off the right-field wall. Second baseman Robert Andino's relay throw to the plate easily beat Ichiro, but he went through the right-handed batter's box to get around Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters.
Wieters couldn't tag Ichiro, but Ichiro didn't touch the plate. Ichiro then eluded Wieters from behind the plate and touched home with his right hand for a 1-0 lead.
The Orioles took the lead with a two-run, two-out rally in the third. Andino and Nate McLouth both singled, and J.J. Hardy walked to load the bases before Davis lined a two-run single to right to put Baltimore up, 2-1.
Adam Jones then hit a seeing-eye single to left, but Hardy didn't pick up third-base coach DeMarlo Hale waving him home and stopped at third. Wieters then flew out to center for the last out.
New York threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with one out before Chen retired Eduardo Nunez on a pop-up and Derek Jeter on a force play.
The Orioles made it 3-1 on Reynolds' RBI single in the sixth. Jeter answered with an RBI single in the seventh.
NOTES: Game 1 had a rain delay of two hours, 26 minutes at the start, and Monday's game also had to battle the weather. The start was delayed for 40 minutes due to rain . . . Manny Machado became the youngest player in Oriole history to get a hit in postseason play. He's 20 years old. Paul Blair (22) had held the record he set in the 1966 World Series, when the Orioles stunned the Dodgers in a four-game sweep...Miguel Gonzalez is scheduled to be the Orioles' Game 3 starter on Wednesday night in New York. ...CC Sabathia's start in Game 1 gave him the second-most starts (nine) in the opening game of a playoff series ever. He had been tied with Whitey Ford and Roger Clemens and ranks behind only Greg Maddux (11)...Ichiro has hit in 20 consecutive games at Camden Yards while playing with both the Mariners and Yankees.