YANKS SURVIVE SCARY NIGHT ON TOP OF WILD-CARD HILL

Last night, the Yankees proved they are survivors, which is notto say that Buck Showalter's club will endure and finish on top ofthe wild-card race. It's just saying that, somehow, they survivedon a night when they easily could have come away looking bad.

To beat the Indians, 9-2, at Jacobs Field, for their sixthstraight win and Showalter's 300th as manager, the Yankees had tosurvive a number of dilemmas, things the final margin would neversuggest.

Before they laid it on with six runs in the ninth, the Yankeeshad to survive Darryl Strawberry's ungraceful debut in left field.Strawberry misplayed two balls in one inning and it cost theYankees only one run.

They had to survive five walks by starter Scott Kamieniecki,who had the bullpen warming in the third but hung on for sixinnings.

They had to survive a physical and mental error by TonyFernandez, who, with the score 3-2, botched Alvaro Espinoza'sseventh-inning ground ball, then sulked while Espinoza took second.Relievers Bob MacDonald and Bob Wickman pitched Fernandez off thehook.

And they had to survive one final scare courtesy of Steve Howe,who, with a one-run lead and a man on base in the eighth, gave up athreatening-looking, warning-track fly ball to Eddie Murray.

"The Indians didn't play real well," said Kamieniecki, whoevened his record at 5-5. "And we didn't play well, either. We justplayed well enough to win the game."

The Yankees put the game away in the ninth. Paul O'Neill had atwo-run homer, Wade Boggs had a two-run single.

So now the Yankees, who put David Cone on the mound fortonight's series finale, are very much alive and can't help butthink, if they can snatch the wild card, they have a very goodchance of going to the World Series, what with the way they'vehandled the Indians lately. The Yankees have now won four straightfrom the team with baseball's best record.

"We're not thinking about down the road right now," saidShowalter. "We're thinking about getting to the postseason andnothing else.

"Now that we're ahead in the race, we don't want to flip-flopback and forth -- go ahead, fall behind," Showalter added.

The win guaranteed the Yankees would hold onto theirfirst-place standing in the wild-card race, a half-game ahead ofthe Mariners, who clobbered the Twins, 14-3.

"It was as much a team effort as any win we've had this year,"said Showalter. "A lot of people stepped up and did the job."

If there was one key moment for the Yankees, it may haveoccurred in the third, after Strawberry dropped a fly ball for atwo-base error and Kamieniecki gave up a home run to Kenny Loftonthat put the Tribe ahead, 2-1. With two out in that inning,Strawberry waved awkwardly at Albert Belle's line-drive double asit sailed over his head, and Kamieniecki walked two men to load thebases.

Paul Sorrento lined a would-be double down the third-base linethat Boggs speared with a full dive, saving two, maybe three runs.After that, Kamieniecki got his legs and, it seemed, the Yankeeswere able to survive everything that came their way.

"They could have easily scored two or three more that inningand really put us in a hole," Kamieniecki said.

"I was sort of like a boxer, getting off the ropes there. ThenI got to start new the next inning."

The Indians played possibly their ugliest game of the year,committing a season-high five errors -- two of them during NewYork's six-run ninth inning.

Bernie Williams started the ninth with a walk, and O'Neillfollowed with a home run, his 20th, off Julian Tavarez. Sorrentolet Ruben Sierra's ground ball get through for an error, and Sierraeventually scored on an error by right fielder Manny Ramirez. JimLeyritz drove in a run with a groundout, and Boggs capped theinning with a two-run single.

"I'm willing to file it and forget it," Indians manager MikeHargrove said. "I don't think those guys will forget it. They(Indians) don't take embarrassment lightly, and tonight wasembarrassing for all of us."

YANKS SURVIVE SCARY NIGHT ON TOP OF WILD-CARD HILL

Last night, the Yankees proved they are survivors, which is notto say that Buck Showalter's club will endure and finish on top ofthe wild-card race. It's just saying that, somehow, they survivedon a night when they easily could have come away looking bad.

To beat the Indians, 9-2, at Jacobs Field, for their sixthstraight win and Showalter's 300th as manager, the Yankees had tosurvive a number of dilemmas, things the final margin would neversuggest.

Before they laid it on with six runs in the ninth, the Yankeeshad to survive Darryl Strawberry's ungraceful debut in left field.Strawberry misplayed two balls in one inning and it cost theYankees only one run.

They had to survive five walks by starter Scott Kamieniecki,who had the bullpen warming in the third but hung on for sixinnings.

They had to survive a physical and mental error by TonyFernandez, who, with the score 3-2, botched Alvaro Espinoza'sseventh-inning ground ball, then sulked while Espinoza took second.Relievers Bob MacDonald and Bob Wickman pitched Fernandez off thehook.

And they had to survive one final scare courtesy of Steve Howe,who, with a one-run lead and a man on base in the eighth, gave up athreatening-looking, warning-track fly ball to Eddie Murray.

"The Indians didn't play real well," said Kamieniecki, whoevened his record at 5-5. "And we didn't play well, either. We justplayed well enough to win the game."

The Yankees put the game away in the ninth. Paul O'Neill had atwo-run homer, Wade Boggs had a two-run single.

So now the Yankees, who put David Cone on the mound fortonight's series finale, are very much alive and can't help butthink, if they can snatch the wild card, they have a very goodchance of going to the World Series, what with the way they'vehandled the Indians lately. The Yankees have now won four straightfrom the team with baseball's best record.

"We're not thinking about down the road right now," saidShowalter. "We're thinking about getting to the postseason andnothing else.

"Now that we're ahead in the race, we don't want to flip-flopback and forth -- go ahead, fall behind," Showalter added.

The win guaranteed the Yankees would hold onto theirfirst-place standing in the wild-card race, a half-game ahead ofthe Mariners, who clobbered the Twins, 14-3.

"It was as much a team effort as any win we've had this year,"said Showalter. "A lot of people stepped up and did the job."

If there was one key moment for the Yankees, it may haveoccurred in the third, after Strawberry dropped a fly ball for atwo-base error and Kamieniecki gave up a home run to Kenny Loftonthat put the Tribe ahead, 2-1. With two out in that inning,Strawberry waved awkwardly at Albert Belle's line-drive double asit sailed over his head, and Kamieniecki walked two men to load thebases.

Paul Sorrento lined a would-be double down the third-base linethat Boggs speared with a full dive, saving two, maybe three runs.After that, Kamieniecki got his legs and, it seemed, the Yankeeswere able to survive everything that came their way.

"They could have easily scored two or three more that inningand really put us in a hole," Kamieniecki said.

"I was sort of like a boxer, getting off the ropes there. ThenI got to start new the next inning."

The Indians played possibly their ugliest game of the year,committing a season-high five errors -- two of them during NewYork's six-run ninth inning.

Bernie Williams started the ninth with a walk, and O'Neillfollowed with a home run, his 20th, off Julian Tavarez. Sorrentolet Ruben Sierra's ground ball get through for an error, and Sierraeventually scored on an error by right fielder Manny Ramirez. JimLeyritz drove in a run with a groundout, and Boggs capped theinning with a two-run single.

"I'm willing to file it and forget it," Indians manager MikeHargrove said. "I don't think those guys will forget it. They(Indians) don't take embarrassment lightly, and tonight wasembarrassing for all of us."