Big Unit puts Yanks in a big hole

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson shut down the New York Yankees with pitching that was close to perfect, and moved his Arizona Diamondbacks a game closer to their first World Series championship.

Johnson picked up where Curt Schilling left off, overpowering the Yankees with a three-hitter for a 4-0 win Sunday night that gave Arizona a two games-to-none lead.

The three-time defending champion Yankees left Arizona reeling, held to just six hits in two games.

Pitching for the first time in the World Series, the Big Unit put on perhaps his finest performance in fanning 11. And this from a three-time Cy Young winner, a strikeout ace with a no-hitter to his credit.

"He was terrific. He lived up to what he's supposed to be," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "The axiom has never changed -- good pitching stops good hitting. And that's what we've seen."

The Diamondbacks had banked on their 1-2 punch of Schilling and Johnson putting them ahead at Bank One Ballpark. Probably no one, however, imagined they would make the Yankees look so overmatched.

Johnson pitched the first complete-game shutout in the Series since Schilling did it in 1993 for Philadelphia. Schilling combined with two relievers on a three-hitter Saturday night in a 9-1 romp.

While Game 1 was a rout, this one was tight until Matt Williams hit a game-breaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning.

"They got me a run early and I had to preserve it," Johnson said.

Return to New York

Now, New York must count on a return to Yankee Stadium to close the gap. The next matchup is in the Yankees' favor -- Brian Anderson, shaky all season, starts for Arizona against 20-game winner Roger Clemens in Game 3 Tuesday night.

The Yankees rallied from an 0-2 deficit in the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves and rallied to win in six games, the first of their four championships in the last five years.

"It's no trip to the beach going into Yankee Stadium," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said.

Holding his glove high to shield all but his eyes, Johnson fanned seven of the first nine batters and did not give up a hit until Jorge Posada singled to start the fifth.

His only jam came in the eighth when Shane Spencer and Alfonso Soriano started with singles. But Johnson got a complaining Scott Brosius to look at a 97 mph fastball for strike three and escaped when pinch-hitter Luis Sojo grounded into a double play.

Johnson pumped his fist when Sojo, a Yankees' good-luck charm, hit his grounder and Schilling jumped up and down in the dugout.

Brenly asked Johnson if he wanted to finish the ninth, and the answer clearly was yes.

Pettitte also sharp

Andy Pettitte, the MVP of the ALCS, nearly matched Johnson for most of the game. He even threw an incredible 18 straight strikes in the early going.

On this night, though, it was going to take a no-hitter to beat Johnson.

Danny Bautista hit an RBI single in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Then in the seventh, one pitch after Bautista singled sharply off Pettitte's right leg, Williams launched a three-run homer.

Williams became the first player to hit Series homers for three teams, having done it for San Francisco and Cleveland. His wife, actress Michelle Johnson, was in the stands to cheer his latest shot. Earlier this month, Williams was booed at home during the playoffs.

"It doesn't get easier from here, that's for sure," Williams said.

Torre tried to stack his lineup with right-handed hitters, benching Tino Martinez, David Justice and Paul O'Neill.

There was only one benefit, and it was merely a moral victory -- Randy Velarde, playing because of his .452 career average against Johnson, was the only Yankees' starter who had not struck out by the fifth inning.