Japan's Matsui helps Yankees level while Angels pushed to the brink

NEW YORK (AFP) - Japan's Hideki Matsui drove in the winning run with a 12-inning sacrifice fly here, giving the New York Yankees a 7-6 triumph over Minnesota that evened their Major League Baseball playoff series.
Alex Rodriguez leveled the game with his fourth hit of the game to set the stage for Matsui's critical fly ball as the Yankees equalized the American League best-of-five first round series and one victory each.
"It was a war out there," Rodriguez said. "It was a game we needed."
The series, matching a record 183 million-dollar Yankees lineup against a Twins team with a 53 million-dollar payroll, continues Friday and Saturday at Minneapolis with a fifth game back here on Sunday if necessary.
The Yankees' arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, reached the brink of advancing by routing host Anaheim 8-3 to seize a 2-0 series edge with a chance to sweep out the Angels on Friday in game three at Boston's Fenway Park.
The Yankees were two outs away from trailing their series two games to none before Miguel Cairo and Derek Jeter drew walks off Twins relief pitcher Joe Nathan and "A-Rod" hit a ground-rule double to produce the tying run.
"Jete had a great at-bat and I wanted to make sure I forced (Nathan) to throw strikes," Rodriguez said. "I think he threw me a 1-ball, 1-strike slider and I hit it pretty well."
"This is obviously the biggest hit he has had for us so far, where it stood and where we stood in the series," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
Rodriguez recorded the only hit allowed in 5 1/3 innings by four Minnesota relief pitchers.
"He hit a good pitch," Nathan said. "They were laying off pitches and were patient."
After Gary Sheffield was walked intentionally to load the bases, Matsui lined out to Twins rightfielder Jacque Jones. Jeter slid in ahead of the throw to home plate and the Yankees completed a dramatic comeback victory.
"They find a way to win in October. They found a way tonight," Jones said.
New York led the major leagues during the regular season with 61 come-from-behind victories. Torre rated the dramatic triumph above a game seven AL final victory over Boston that put the Yanks in the 2003 World Series.
"I don't think I want to watch it again," Torre said. "It was certainly one of the memorable games. We had one in game seven against the Red Sox last year and this was probably even more of a dramatic game because it was back and forth."
The Twins took the lead in the top of the 12th on Torii Hunter's two-out solo homer off tiring Yankees reliever Tanyon Sturtze.
"It was tough. They came back," Hunter said. "It's frustrating. We could have been up 2-0 (in the series). It's tough. That's the playoffs. We have to forget about today and worry about Friday."
Kevin Brown of the Yankees will pitch Friday against Carlos Silva.
Rodriguez rescued Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, the most successful closing relief pitcher in playoff history.
Panama's Rivera suffered only his third blown save in 35 chances by allowing run-scoring hits to Justin Morneau and Corey Koskie in the eighth as Minnesota erased a 5-3 deficit.
"He's been picking us up his whole career, so it was good for us to be able to pick him up for a change," Jeter said.
The Twins grabbed the lead in the top of the first, but Jeter tied the score with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning. The blast into the black seats beyond centerfield ended New York's 18-inning playoff scoring drought.
Sheffield and Rodriguez also homered for the Yankees.
At Anaheim, the Red Sox broke open a tight game with four runs in the ninth inning to put the Angels, 2002 World Series champions, on the brink of elimination. Boston scored 17 runs on 23 hits over two games in California.
Manny Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly that scored Johnny Damon from third base to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead with two out in the seventh inning and scored on a Trot Nixon single in the ninth inning to give Boston an 5-3 edge.
Orlando Cabrera followed Nixon with a bases-loaded triple to score three runs, lift the Red Sox lead to 8-3 and end any dreams of an Angels rally.
Vladimir Guerrero's two-run single in the fifth gave the Angels a 3-1 edge but Jason Varitek blasted a two-run homer off Bartolo Colon with two out in the sixth inning to level the game 3-3.
Boston took a 1-0 lead when Ramirez was issued a bases-loaded walk to force home Bill Mueller in the second inning, but Anaheim leveled on Dallas McPherson's run-scoring single later in the inning.