SEATTLE — Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth, his second game-deciding homer of the week, and the New York Yankees rolled on without Alex Rodriguez, beating the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Friday night.
Teixeira, who also had a tiebreaking homer against Boston on Sunday, nailed a fastball from Mark Lowe (1-5) that landed just below the second deck well beyond right field to break a 2-all tie that had stood since the fifth. The Yankees’ dugout, where Rodriguez watched because of back spasms, went wild. Teixeira exhaled deeply and took a celebratory crow hop while watching his 30th home run, second-most in the AL, soar away.
A subsequent double by Robinson Cano and RBI single by Nick Swisher capped New York’s major league-leading 38th comeback win and 11th victory in 12 games. They stayed 6½ games ahead of Boston in AL East.
Mariano Rivera closed the ninth for his major league-leading 34th save in 35 chances, and 30th consecutive conversion — another major league best. New York reached 30 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2006 regular season 32 games over. They are 22-6 since the All-Star break, their best start to a second-half since 1941.
The Mariners, who were routed 11-1 by New York Thursday, lost consecutive games for the first time this month. They fell 6½ games behind the Red Sox in the AL wild-card standings.
Rodriguez missed his second consecutive start — he hopes to play Saturday — and Jerry Hairston Jr. had an RBI fielder’s choice while subbing at third base. It was the first time since he made his season debut May 8 following hip surgery that A-Rod had been out consecutive games.
That must have disappointed the thousands who always turn out to boo the superstar whenever he returns to Seattle, yet at least one sign in the stands derided him as “A-Roid.”
With the scored tied in the eighth, New York’s Phil Hughes (5-3) got two quick outs before Ken Griffey Jr. coaxed a 10-pitch walk. Then Russell Branyan walked. But Hughes got Jack Hannahan, the fill-in while Adrian Beltre is on the disabled list, to swung under a 95 mph to end the inning.
One night after CC Sabathia whiffed a season-high 10 Mariners, Andy Pettitte struck out his season high of 10 against the AL’s lowest-scoring team, his most strikeouts in three years. Pettitte allowed six hits and two runs in six innings. He still hasn’t won in Seattle in seven starts since Aug. 7, 1999, weeks after Safeco Field opened.
Seattle lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith easily could have allowed one hit and one run in his seven innings were it not for a fluky fifth.
Melky Cabrera, who barely beat the throw to first base while wearing a No. 13 wrist band apparently in honor of A-Rod, reached on an infield single and took second on a wild pitch. He tied the game at 2 when Derek Jeter’s four-hop grounder went under the glove of third baseman Hannahan and shortstop Josh Wilson overran it by a step for a tricky single.
Rowland-Smith allowed three hits and two runs, walking two and striking out five.
Seattle’s two runs off Pettitte came in their first four batters. Ichiro Suzuki and Franklin Gutierrez singled, Jose Lopez doubled home Suzuki, and Griffey’s groundout scored Gutierrez.
NOTES: The last time Pettitte struck out 10 was on Aug. 21, 2006, when he was with Houston against Cincinnati. … C Jorge Posada doubled and scored New York’s first run on a groundout by Hairston in the second. He sat out Thursday, a day after he was hit by foul tips in the mask, both hands and foot. Then Griffey fouled one flush off Posada’s mask in the eighth Friday.
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