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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- After the cameras and microphones pulled back,
Paul Rigdon was handed a telephone for yet another radio interview.
Everyone wanted to talk to the rookie about beating the Yankees in
his major league debut.
Especially his father.
"It's awesome," said Larry Rigdon, standing and waiting near
his son in the Indians' clubhouse. "I was a little apprehensive
about him facing the Yankees."
So were the Indians.
|  | | Rigdon kept the Yankees out of sync with a sinkerball and slider and kept his pitches low in the strike zone. |
But Rigdon shut out the World Series champions on two hits for
seven innings in his first big league start Sunday, leading
Cleveland Indians to a 6-1 win over New York.
Rigdon, the first Indians pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1964 to
make his first major league start against the Yankees, gave
Cleveland just its second series win over New York at Jacobs Field.
"Unbelievable," the right-hander said. "This was better than
I ever imagined. Before the game I tried to visualize what I would
do, but this was better. Unbelievable."
The 24-year-old only arrived Friday morning, called up from
Triple-A Buffalo one day after the Indians had to place starters
Jaret Wright, Charles Nagy and reliever Ricardo Rincon on the
disabled list.
That's when he was told his debut would come against the
Yankees.
"I was nervous," he said. "But once I got out there and threw
that first pitch to (Chuck) Knoblauch, I calmed down. My adrenaline
is still flowing a little bit."
Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez hit two-run homers off Orlando
Hernandez (4-4) and Enrique Wilson's inside-the-park shot helped
the Indians take two of three from the Yankees, who swept a
three-game series from Cleveland here earlier this month.
Rigdon did just what he said he'd try to do when he got word he
was starting against the Yankees.
Primarily using his sinkerball and slider, Rigdon stayed ahead
in the count and kept the ball low in the strike zone. He used both
sides of the plate and let his defense do the rest.
"The guys behind me are great players, so I just let them to
their jobs," Rigdon said. "And anytime I got in trouble, I just
remembered the guys that were behind me."
The Yankees were the only ones in trouble.
"He pitched wonderfully," New York manager Joe Torre said.
"There's a lesson to be learned here by young pitchers -- throw
strike one."
With his dad, mother Penny and fiancee Diane in town from
Jacksonville, Fla., Rigdon walked four and struck out two. He gave
up just a third-inning single to Chuck Knoblauch and a
seventh-inning double to Jorge Posada.
"He made us put the ball in play," said Paul O'Neill, who hit
two hard comebackers that Rigdon snagged. "He threw strikes and
they had a great defense behind him."
Second baseman Roberto Alomar made a diving stop to take a hit
away from Ricky Ledee, and twice after one-out walks, Rigdon got
the Yankees to hit into inning-ending double plays.
After walking Ricky Ledee in the seventh to put two on, Alomar
visited Rigdon on the mound.
"I just told him to slow down," Alomar said. "I said give me
sinkerball and a grounder. And I got it."
Rigdon, who got 14 outs on grounders, escaped the seventh when
Jim Leyritz bounced into a double play.
The Indians feel lucky to still have Rigdon. He was left
unprotected in last year's Rule 5 draft despite going 14-4 in the
minors, and Cleveland's front office felt relieved when he wasn't
taken by another team.
"He kept his cool," said Indians manager Charlie Manuel. "He
pitched a heck of a game."
Hernandez lost his fourth straight decision and is winless since
April 23. He gave up nine hits -- three homers -- and five earned
runs in six-plus innings. Hernandez is 0-4 in five career
regular-season starts against the Indians.
With Cleveland leading 1-0 in the second, Wilson hit a towering
drive to right-center that backed O'Neill up to the wall. O'Neill
just missed a leaping catch and fell into a heap on the warning
track as the ball caromed toward the infield.
Wilson was waved home by third-base coach Jim Riggleman and made
it 2-0 with a headfirst slide when second baseman Knoblauch's relay
throw to the plate sailed over Posada's head.
"I was out of gas," said Wilson, who flopped across home.
"I'm glad tomorrow is an off day."
Thome's 11th homer of the season made it 4-0 in the third.
Alomar walked, stole second with one out and Thome hit a 2-1 pitch
into the left-field bleachers.
Ramirez connected for his 13th in the seventh to chase
Hernandez, who has given up eight homers in his last four starts.
Thome put the Indians ahead 1-0 in the first with a sacrifice
fly to right.
Game notes
The Yankees, who own a 25-11 record at Jacobs Field, hadn't
lost two straight here in the same series since June 21-22, 1997.
... Thome is batting .461 with three homers in 13 at-bats against
Hernandez. ... Tiant made his big league debut with the Indians on
July 19, 1964, pitching a three-hit shutout in the second game of a
doubleheader at Yankee Stadium to beat Whitey Ford. ... The Indians
are the only AL team Hernandez has not beaten in the regular
season. He shut Cleveland out for seven innings in Game 4 of the
1999 ALCS. ... Wilson's inside-the-parker was the third in Jacobs
Field history.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 7
Boston 5
Cleveland 6
NY Yankees 1
Chi. White Sox 2
Toronto 1
Kansas City 10
Anaheim 6
Oakland 13
Minnesota 4
Seattle 8
Tampa Bay 4
Texas 6
Baltimore 5
Los Angeles 12
Florida 3
Atlanta 12
San Diego 6
NY Mets 7
Arizona 6
Montreal 8
Houston 3
Philadelphia 4
Colorado 3
St. Louis 7
Pittsburgh 5
San Francisco 16
Milwaukee 10
Chicago Cubs 4
Cincinnati 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Paul Rigdon let his defense do the work.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Roberto Alomar says Rigdon threw strikes.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bernie Williams gives Paul Rigdon credit.
wav: 70 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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