NEW YORK - Joe Torre made it clear he expects his Yankees to play with more heart.
They got the message.
One day after getting no-hit for the first time in 45 years, New York bounced back against the Houston bullpen that shut it down. Alfonso Soriano hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth and the Yankees took advantage of a Jeff Bagwell error to rally past the Astros 6-5 Thursday.
"It was very important to win the game," Soriano said. "Everybody knows the Yankees fight until the end."
Torre held a team meeting after Wednesday night's 8-0 loss, and the Yankees responded by showing some championship grit.
"I wouldn't say it was a must win, but when Joe was as vocal as he was last night, everyone wanted to step it up a notch today," catcher John Flaherty said. "The tone was set last night after the game. If you didn't wake up today to play, there's something wrong with you."
New York took two out of three in the first series between the teams.
Houston took a 5-3 lead in the sixth on Adam Everett's two-run double off David Wells. But this time the Yankees got some big hits against the Houston bullpen.
Juan Rivera's run-scoring single off Kirk Saarloos, who got four outs Wednesday night, cut it to 5-4 in the sixth. Raul Mondesi singled off Brad Lidge, who pitched two innings in the no-hitter, with two outs in the seventh to tie it at 5.
"I thought the intensity level was a lot better today," shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Hopefully, when the season's over with we can look back and say this was the turning point, but only time will tell."
Six Houston pitchers combined on the no-hitter, the first against the Yankees in 6,980 games, the longest streak in history. Hoyt Wilhelm was the last to no-hit New York, 1-0 for Baltimore on Sept. 20, 1958.
It also was the most pitchers to combine on a no-hitter. Four had done it twice.
The lifeless effort figured to draw the ire of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was in Torre's office for about a half-hour before the game.
"We discussed some things," Torre said.
"There's no question he has the right to say what he wants and do what he wants. But I don't think there was any way I could have felt worse about that game."
Hideki Matsui led off the eighth with a dribbler to first, but Bagwell stumbled and booted the ball.
"I was letting it go, at the last minute I thought it was going to hit the bag and I just kind of panicked," he said. "I just flat out fumbled it. I don't have an excuse."
A single by pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra and a walk to pinch-hitter Jorge Posada loaded the bases for Soriano, who looped a go-ahead single to right off Octavio Dotel.
The Yankees won for the first time this season when trailing after six; they had been 0-20.
BRAVES 4, A'S 2: Gary Sheffield and Andruw Jones homered and Shane Reynolds took a three-hit shutout into the seventh for visiting Atlanta.
Barry Zito, last season's AL Cy Young Award winner, lost his first interleague game in eight starts as Oakland lost its third consecutive series for the first time in nearly a year.
Reynolds continued his successful comeback season by winning his fourth straight decision.
CARDINALS 8, RED SOX 7 (13): Jim Edmonds hit an opposite-field three-run homer in the 13th as visiting St. Louis held on after wasting two late leads.
Edmonds hit two homers and Edgar Renteria went 5-for-6 for the Cardinals, who took two of three from Boston in the first meeting between the teams since St. Louis won the 1967 World Series 4-3.
Nomar Garciaparra tied it at 3 in the ninth with a triple and at 5 in the 10th with a single.
GIANTS 8, WHITE SOX 4: Barry Bonds hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth and Rich Aurilia had a pinch-hit grand slam later in the inning to rally visiting San Francisco. Bartolo Colon struck out Bonds in his first three at-bats and took a three-hitter into the ninth. Ray Durham singled leading off, and Bonds hit the next pitch for his 631st home run, his 18th this season.
MARINERS 1, EXPOS 0: Ryan Franklin and Arthur Rhodes combined on a five-hitter and Bret Boone hit his 18th homer of the season as host Seattle salvaged the series finale.
BLUE JAYS 5, PIRATES 4: Mark Hendrickson won for the first time in almost a month and host Toronto completed a three-game sweep. The Blue Jays won their fourth straight to move seven games over .500 for the first time since May 7, 2001.
TWINS 15, ROCKIES 3: A.J. Pierzynski hit a grand slam in the first and added a three-run shot in the seventh, leading host Minnesota. Pierzynski hit his second career grand slam and had his first multi-homer game.
ORIOLES 6, CUBS 1: Melvin Mora homered and drove in three and Rick Helling shrugged off two rain delays to pitch five shutout innings as host Baltimore avoided a sweep.
DODGERS 3, TIGERS 2: Kazuhisa Ishii allowed two runs over seven innings and Paul Lo Duca drove in the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning single as visiting Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep.
METS 11, RANGERS 0: Vance Wilson homered and drove in five and Al Leiter pitched six shutout innings for visiting New York.
PADRES 9, INDIANS 4: Jake Peavy got his first win since April 25 as home runs by Rondell White and Ryan Klesko helped rally visiting San Diego.
D'BACKS AT ROYALS, PPD.: The game was rained out with Arizona leading 4-1 in the third. No makeup date was set.
BREWERS 6, MARLINS 5: Eric Young and Wes Helms homered in a five-run sixth as host Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak. Matt Kinney gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings.
