Enrique Wilson capitalizes on a rare start to again help beat Pedro Martinez.
By Times Wires
Published July 26, 2003
BOSTON - Enrique Wilson doesn't play often, but he had a feeling he would be in the lineup when the Yankees opened a three-game series against Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox.
Wilson had two hits, stole two bases and scored the winning run in the ninth inning on Derek Jeter's sacrifice fly to give New York a 4-3 victory Friday night that moved the Yankees 31/2 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East.
Wilson, a third baseman, had two doubles against Martinez on July7 and another hit off him Friday.
"Tonight I had a very good game and helped the team," he said. "When this team needs me, I'm ready for it."
Wilson, who has started 17 games this season, led off the ninth with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout before Jeter looped a fly to centerfield off closer Byung-Hyun Kim.
"In a close game it's going to come down to who executed," Jeter said. "Enrique did a nice job. He's tough, just like (Luis) Sojo. I don't know how he can do it, a week, two weeks without playing."
Mariano Rivera gave up a one-out double to Nomar Garciaparra in the ninth and walked Manny Ramirez, but he struck out Kevin Millar and got Jeremy Giambi to line out to second base to secure the win.
Rivera, in relief of Armando Benitez, allowed Jason Varitek's bloop single that tied it at 3 in the eighth.
"I wanted the opportunity to come back and get that pitch back," Rivera said.
The Yankees took a 3-2 lead on Bernie Williams' run-scoring single in the seventh inning. Williams was 3-for-5 and probably had his best game since returning July9 after knee surgery.
"I think I made good strides tonight, but it's an ongoing process," he said.
Williams' hit, which scored Wilson, came on Martinez's 128th and last pitch, the most he has thrown this season. It was his most since May 1, 2001, when he threw 136 in eight innings against Seattle.
Martinez almost got out of the inning, striking out Alfonso Soriano and Jason Giambi around a walk to Jeter before Williams' hit.
"Pedro was aggressive," Varitek said. "He was doing everything he could to get out of that inning. He was real determined, and then Bernie got that breaking ball."
Martinez gave up seven hits and struck out 10 in 62/3 innings.
Kim also lost July 7 at Yankee Stadium, the last time Martinez faced New York.
Yankees starter David Wells was pulled in the sixth after walking three consecutive batters with two outs. Jesse Orosco, the 46-year-old left-hander acquired from San Diego this week, ended the inning in his Yankees debut by striking out Johnny Damon.
Wells gave up two runs in 52/3 innings, struck out three and walked five. It was the third time this season he has walked as many as four in a game.
