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Yankees force Game 7
Halladay rocked by Bronx Bombers
October 14, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays may have won the first three games of the American League Championship Series, but the New York Yankees have won the last three games with one more to go.
The Yankees won Game 6 of the ALCS at Tropicana Field tonight, 6-5, evening up the best-of-seven series and setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow night.
Devil Rays starter Roy Halladay was hammered by New York tonight, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks in just two innings. Livan Hernandez, coming out of the bullpen, was impressive for Tampa Bay — one run on two hits and three walks in seven innings of relief.
"Doc [Halladay] had a rough one, and that happens sometimes, but he had a rough one so we got him out of there considering the magnitude of the game," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "Livan really kept us in the game with his pitching, giving the lineup the chance to come back and try to win the game."
Trailing by two runs heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, Tampa Bay rallied off Yankees closer Antonio Osuna. Erubiel Durazo greeted Osuna with a double down the thirdbase-line, and then scored on an error by New York thirdbaseman Tyler Houston, making it a one-run game. Mike Lamb pinch-hit for Wilton Guerrero and flew out to centerfield for the first out. Adam Kennedy was hit by a pitch, putting the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on first base with the top of the order coming up. Jimmy Rollins went down on strikes and Carlos Beltran ended the game with a groundout to shortstop Melvin Mora.
Game 7 will be played tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. The Yankees are expected to send Francisco Cordova to the mound while the Devil Rays will likely go with left-hander Barry Zito. Cordova has not yet pitched in the playoffs while Zito threw a two-hit shutout against the Yankees in Game 3.
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