New York: New York’s Raul Ibanez blasted a game-winning home run in the 12th inning after tying the game with a homer to lift the Yankees over Baltimore 3-2 in a Major League Baseball playoff thriller.
The Yankees took a 2-1 lead over the Orioles in the best-of-five American League division series with game four Thursday in New York, where game five will be played Friday if necessary.
New York or Baltimore winner will face either Oakland or Detroit to decide a berth in the World Series against the National League champion.
Ibanez put himself among the Yankee legends with his epic homers, the first coming with his team trailing in the ninth inning and two outs from defeat on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old outfielder and designated hitter became the first Yankee batter since 2004 with two homers in a playoff game and his came when the team needed them most, smashing the fourth and fifth playoff homers of his career.
“It’s a great experience,” Ibanez said. “We stayed after it. We did it as a team. It’s about team and it’s about winning.”
In the 12th, Ibanez smashed the ball over the right-field wall to send the Yankees dancing out of their dugout in delight.
“I was looking for a good pitch to hit, trying to hit it hard, not trying to do too much,” Ibanez said. “Fortunately for us I got a good pitch up and got a good swing on it.”
The Yankees had been 0-58 when trailing after eight innings since the season began six months ago, but have twice rallied from such a hole in October, this time snapping a run of 16 extra-inning victories in a row for the Orioles.
With the Orioles only two outs from victory, the Yankees equalized at 2-2 in the ninth when Ibanez, pinch-hitting for Alex Rodriguez, smacked a sinker pitch from Baltimore’s Jim Johnson over the right-field wall for a solo homer.
“I just tried to get ready to put a good bat on it,” Ibanez said.
Johnson, a relief ace who did not allow a home run by anyone in the Yankees lineup in the regular season, surrendered his second of the playoffs to Ibanez to send the game into extra innings.
Baltimore took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning on homers by Ryan Flaherty in the third inning and Manny Machado in the fifth.
The Yankees scored their first run in the third when Russell Martin doubled and crossed the plate on a triple by Derek Jeter, who exited after eight innings with a left foot injury.
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