Yankees Derail Mets, Defend Title

Three straight World Series titles, four in the last five years, the New York Yankees are in the midst of another dynasty.

So compelling is this team's story that it made the fact that they were playing their crosstown rivals a mere sidelight once it was all said and done.

These Yankees, thought to be too old and too banged-up to make it this far, became the first team in a quarter-century to win three straight World Series championships, beating the New York Mets 4-2 Thursday night.

Luis Sojo, one of many midseason pickups, hit a two-out, tiebreaking single off Al Leiter in the ninth inning to decide Game 5 and give the Yankees their record 26th championship overall.

"This was super satisfying," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It's never easy, but we had a lot of trouble putting things together this year."

Derek Jeter, who homered and was the Series' MVP after batting .409 while earning his fourth ring at the age of 26, had nothing but praise for a Mets team that battled tooth and nail throughout.

"The Mets are - in my opinion - the best team we've played in my years here," Jeter said.

With the victory, the Yankees matched the Oakland Athletics' three in a row from 1972-74, and won their fourth title in five years.

And while the lasting image of this Series is certain to be Roger Clemens throwing the bat toward Mike Piazza, this is the picture the Yankees will prefer to savor: owner George Steinbrenner hoisting another big piece of hardware for the team's trophy case.

"The Mets gave us everything we could want. It was great for the city of New York," Steinbrenner said.

Slumping Bernie Williams also homered for the Yankees. But it was Sojo, who blossomed into a good-luck charm after rejoining the Yanks from Pittsburgh on Aug. 7, who delivered the winning hit.

"It's the happiest day of my life. I don't know how to explain it," said Sojo, who entered the game in the eighth inning. "Today they gave me a chance to come through. I did and was it was unbelievable."

Leiter battled all night, and struck out the first two batters in the ninth. Then he walked Jorge Posada and gave up a single to Scott Brosius, and Sojo followed by slapping a single up the middle on Leiter's 142nd and final pitch.

Another run scored on the play when center fielder Jay Payton's throw home hit Posada and bounded into the Mets' dugout. Sojo's single snapped the Yankees' 0-for-16 streak with runners in scoring position, dating to Game 2.

Leiter remained winless in 11 postseason starts, while Mike Stanton won in relief of Andy Pettitte. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for a save.

At the stroke of midnight, Piazza flied out to the edge of the warning track in center field with a runner on base to finish it.

"It's been an exciting Series. There were a lot of clutch plays and clutch hits," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.

The Yankees fans in the sellout crowd of 55,292 went wild after having been outshouted all evening.

Unlike the overmatched San Diego Padres in 1998 and the overwhelmed Atlanta Braves in 1999, the wild-card Mets were in t all the way. Their best chance, however, really may have ended when closer Armando Benitez could not hold a one-run lead in the opener.

That opened the door and, in the end, Joe Torre's team showed what October experience is all about.

Williams put the Yankees ahead 1-0 when he homered leading off the second. The cleanup man had been 0-for-15 through four games and hitless in his last 22 Series at-bats overall.

"I didn't care how I was hitting as long as we were winning," Williams said.

Jeter, who homered on the first pitch of the game the previous night, made it 2-all by hitting a shot into the Yankees' left-field bullpen in the sixth off Leiter.

The Mets had to work much harder for their runs.

Bubba Trammell, starting because of his career success against Pettitte, walked with one out in the second and Payton singled. The runners moved up on a groundout and Leiter, an .053 hitter this season, dragged a perfect bunt past the mound.

First baseman Tino Martinez bobbled the ball for a moment and made an underhanded flip to Pettitte, but the pitcher dropped the throw. Pettitte was charged with an error denying an RBI to Leiter, who had none this year but a run scored and the Mets were satisfied.

Benny Agbayani followed with a slow roller that third baseman Brosius tried to play with his bare hand, but the ball escaped his grasp and went for an RBI single that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead.