OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Bernie Williams drove home five runs and Orlando Hernandez came through when his team needed him most Sunday as the New York Yankees sent their American League Division Series to a Game 5 with a 9-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
After losing the first two games of the series at home, New York's three-year reign as baseball's No. 1 team appeared over.
But after surviving a tense, 1-0 victory Saturday, the Yankees hammered the Athletics Sunday and the two teams headed back to New York to decide which will advance to the ALCS. The winner will take on either Cleveland or Seattle in a best-of-seven series that will begin Wednesday.
Game 1 starters Mark Mulder for Oakland and Roger Clemens for New York will be in action Monday.
Clemens left Game 1 with a slight hamstring strain.
"If he is on, we have a shot at this," Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said. "He tested his legs today in the bullpen before the game and they're much much better than yesterday. He can now push off the mound."
Since the advent of Division Series play in 1995, no team has come back to win a series after dropping the first two games at home.
Hernandez struggled throughout the regular season and spent three months on the sidelines with arm problems.
Facing elimination, however, New York manager Joe Torre sent Hernandez out to save the season and he did so. Hernandez has 10 playoff decisions and has won nine of them.
Sunday's effort was not a gem by any means, but he escaped huge problems in the first, endured a two-run third and eventually survived 5 2/3 innings while his teammates were roughing up Oakland starter Cory Lidle.
"I like to pitch whenever I'm able to pitch, but this is a time when the team really comes together," said Hernandez. "To me every game is the same. I try to focus on the first game of the season the same as the last game, and the last game of the World Series."
"I really, truly believe experience is an advantage," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "And (Hernandez) had every chance to roll over and go away. But he kept battling it. He pitched to who he wanted to pitch to, pitched around who he wanted to. He was able to fight his way through."
Oakland put runners on second and third with none out in the first, but the Athletics could not get the ball out of the infield for the rest of the inning. Jason Giambi fouled out to third, Jermaine Dye popped out to shorstop, Terrence Long walked to load the bases and Jeremy Giambi fouled out to first.
New York then began to take control in the second when Williams and Jorge Posada walked and Oakland second baseman F.P. Santangelo committed a fielding error on a ball hit by Paul O'Neill that allowed Williams to score. A ground ball to second from Scott Brosius brought in Posada from third.
With one out in the third, Derek Jeter singled and David Justice walked and both runners scored on a double by Williams.
Williams, the all-time RBI leader in the seven-year history of the Division Series, was just one for 11 in the first three games of the series. But he responded with a two-run double in the third, a two-run single in the fourth and an RBI double in the eighth.
"I think we were pretty tied up in the first couple of games," Williams said. "We were out there thinking we're just going to go all out and whatever happens, happens. We decided not to worry too much about the results and it seemed to work."
Oakland scored its only two runs in the third, but even then the Athletics were hit by bad news. Miguel Tejeda doubled to start the inning and Jason Giambi walked, but Dye then fouled a ball off his leg and suffered a broken tibia and is lost for the remainder of the season.
"Well, Jermaine has done a tremendous job ever since he's joined us and we're going to miss him," Howe said. "But the other guys have to step up. We won a few games this year when he wasn't here, so we're going to have to find a way to get it done tomorrow. The other guys are going to have to pick up for him."
Ron Gant came in to replace Dye and struck out, after which Long singled home Tejeda. Giambi stopped at second on the base hit, but went to third on a Hernandez wild pitch and scored on Jeremy Giambi's grounder to first.
New York then broke the game open in the fourth. O'Neill doubled to start the inning, went to third on a sacrifice by Brosius and scored on Alfonso Soriano's single.
Soriano then stole second, Jeter walked, Justice singled to load the bases and Williams drove in two more runs witgh a single.
The game remained 7-2 until the ninth, when the Yankees added two runs -- one of them coming in on a double by Williams.
It was a potential breakout game for the New York offense, which won Saturday despite recording just two hits. In the first three games, the Yankees had managed four runs in 19 hits.
"There's no doubt about this, this is a comeback," Jeter said. "I knew we could play better than what we showed in the first two games. Bernie came up huge, especailly when he got those hits with men in scoring postion. This is the time of the year we need someone to be big for us every game. It doesn't matter who it is, it just has to be someone."
