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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Gold Glove center fielder Bernie Williams might consider spending more time at designated hitter.
Williams, used at DH instead of in center for the second night in a row because of a sore right triceps muscle, doubled twice and snapped a tie with a two-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday to lead the New York Yankees over the Anaheim Angels 5-3.
|  | | Bernie Williams gets a high-five from third base coach Willie Randolph after his ninth-inning homer. |
He figured in all the New York scoring, driving in three runs and scoring twice.
"I still like to play the outfield. This stuff is pretty boring. I hope I can play in the field by this weekend," Williams said after his two-out homer off Troy Percival carried the two-time defending World Series champions to their second win in as many games.
Batting left-handed, the switch-hitting Williams lined Percival's fastball into the left-field seats, just inside the foul pole.
"He provided all the power," Williams said of Percival. "They pitched me away all night, and I tried to hit it where it was pitched."
Percival said of the fastball on the outside corner: "He's a strong man. It wasn't a bad pitch, but he just beat me."
Williams' RBI double in the seventh off right-hander Shigatoshi Hasegawa also was down the left field line.
Williams, who is 18-for-44 (.409) with five homers and 14 RBI in limited DH appearances, doesn't seemed a natural for the role.
"One time we had to go looking for Bernie," New York manager Joe Torre said. "He had lost track of the lineup, and we had to go get him in the cage."
Paul O'Neill singled off Percival (0-1) with two out before Williams homered. Percival had started his career with 22 1/3 shutout innings against the Yankees until they scored against him last season.
Ramiro Mendoza (1-0), the third Yankees pitcher, was the winner. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
The Angels got a solid pitching performance from starter Kent Bottenfield, making his Anaheim debut, but could not come up with timely hits. They stranded 12 runners after leaving 11 on in a 3-2 loss to New York in the season opener.
"We didn't lose these two games because of our pitching. Our pitchers have done a good job," said rookie manager Mike Scioscia, left looking for his first win with the Angels. "Maybe you would expect more from our offensive side, but that's going to come."
After the Angels scored three unearned runs against Roger Clemens in the sixth, Williams' opposite-field double scored Derek Jeter to tie it at 3.
Down 2-0, the Angels took advantage of an error by Clay Bellinger, a late replacement for Scott Brosius at third base, to go ahead.
With two out, Scott Spiezio walked and Ben Molina hit a slow roller down the third-base line. Bellinger, inserted in the lineup after Gold Glove winner Brosius strained a muscle in his rib cage during batting practice, charged the ball and, off-balance, threw wildly to first for an error.
Spiezio advanced to third and Molina to second, and both scored on Gary DiSarcina's single. DiSarcina, who went to second on the throw home, scored on Darin Erstad's single.
Bellinger's error came shortly after Hasegawa had struck him out with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the sixth. Bellinger went 0-for-4.
After the game, Torre said Brosius will be placed on the disabled list on Wednesday.
The Yankees went up 1-0 in the fourth when Williams doubled and scored on Jorge Posada's single off Kent Bottenfield, who was making his Angels' debut.
Williams also scored New York's second run, reaching base on a fielder's choice grounder in the sixth and coming home on Tino Martinez's triple off the fence in right.
Clemens allowed seven hits and no earned runs in six innings, striking out seven and walking five.
Bottenfield, acquired from St. Louis along with Adam Kennedy in a March 23 trade that sent Jim Edmonds to the Cardinals, gave up two runs on five hits in 5 2-3 innings in his first game for Anaheim. He walked four and struck out five.
Meanwhile, Kennedy, a rookie, went 4-for-5 in the loss.
Game notes
It is the first time the Yankees, who have won the World Series three of the past four years, have began the season 2-0 since 1996. ... DiSarcina quickly redeemed himself after he muffed Chuck Knoblauch's routine grounder to shortstop in the third. The next batter, Jeter, hit a sharp grounder to DiSarcina's left and he made diving stop and, flat on his stomach flipped to second to start a double play.
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Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Anaheim Clubhouse
Strained rib cage muscle to land Brosius on DL
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