Yanks nip A's, keep repeat hopes alive

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Mike Mussina did the hard work. Jorge Posada provided the only run.

Then a backup cutoff man named Derek Jeter supplied the magic that kept the New York Yankees alive.

Mussina pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, and Jeter made a breathtaking defensive play as the Yankees fought off elimination with a 1-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night.

Using every bit of their champions' savvy, the Yankees got only two hits but cut their deficit to 2-1 in the opening round of the AL playoffs. They did it by ending Oakland's 17-game home winning streak and beating Barry Zito, who pitched eight impressive innings.

"I'm sure I'm going to remember it," Mussina said. "We found a way to win, which this team has done on this championship run they've had in the last five years."

The three-time World Series winners got a solo homer from Posada and a gem from Mussina, who left Baltimore to sign with New York in the offseason because he wanted to pitch in important games in October.

But the Yankees wouldn't have held on to their one-run lead without Jeter, whose impossibly graceful relay toss to the plate nailed Jeremy Giambi as he reached out to step on home plate in the seventh inning.

"He's the backup cutoff man in that situation," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He was there, and he made a sensational play. The kid has got great instincts, and he holds it together."

Mariano Rivera pitched the final two innings, working around Jermaine Dye's one-out double in the ninth, for a save.

Game 4 is today at the Coliseum, with Cory Lidle (13-6) pitching for Oakland against Orlando Hernandez (4-7). If the Yankees win again, Game 5 will be Monday in New York.

A day earlier, Mussina spoke of his respect for the champions who preceded him in the Yankees' clubhouse. He then went out and mastered the A's, who looked nothing like the free-swinging, freewheeling team that had not lost at home since Aug. 24.

With Mussina in control, the A's were shut out at home for the first time since June 2.