Sports

The Yankees are known for beating the competition and staying ahead in the game. This year seems to be different for them and their owner is getting angry and Joe Torre, the manager, is afraid of being out of a job.

In the throes of a throwback rant from George Steinbrenner, on a day when the manager gamely fielded questions of his imminent unemployment 2½ hours before the first pitch of a potential elimination game, at a time of pressing questions regarding Roger Clemens’ hamstring and Alex Rodriguez’s bat, normalcy returned to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees slugged, the Yankees pitched, the Yankees won a playoff game, if for no other reason than to start it all over again the next day. At the end of another overwrought cycle, Derek Jeter shook his head.

By the sounds of it, Joe Torre’s job is in no less jeopardy today than it was Sunday, that 8-4 win against the Cleveland Indians suspending the turmoil but probably leading to more, because as long as there are Yankees toiling beneath stately facades, there will be more. “It’s an emotional day because losing is no fun in the postseason,” Torre said near the end of it.

“It’s like everything’s going 200 mph. “As far as the comments from Mr. Steinbrenner, I mean, I don’t want to say you ever get used to it. But you work here, you understand the pressure everybody’s under to win all the time.I understand the requirements here. But the players are human beings. And it’s not machinery here. Even though they get paid a lot of money, it’s still blood that runs through their veins.”

Also, their blood that runs in the streets if two more wins don’t come, along with a pint or two of Torre’s. The owner appears to have awoken from whatever took him away, and with vengeance on his mind. He was said to have watched the game from his suite, but never ventured into view. Instead, the private, open-air box behind home plate held a dozen or so well-dressed folks, none of whom held “Joe Must Go” signs.

Torre said none of his players mentioned anything. There was no Win for Joe rally, no Hit for Joe plan. But, they did have 11 hits, three more than in the first two games combined, and they did wait out Jake Westbrook until his sinker came up, most dramatically resulting in Johnny Damon’s three-run homer in the fifth, all of which covered for Clemens limping off the mound in the third inning. It seems unlikely Clemens would pitch again this postseason, meaning his career could be over, you know, until The Boss comes calling next May.

Against an Indians’ team that will pitch Paul Byrd on Monday night and still have C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona rested and ready for a Game 5, the Yankees stared right through the Defcon 2 scenario and played their best game of the postseason. They enjoyed a swarm-free Joba Chamberlain outing, preceded by the most critical 3 2/3 innings of Phil Hughes’ rookie season. Rodriguez had two two hits, the ballpark sang along with Ronan Tynan, and Torre was still there at the end, tapping fists in a win.