Bases-loaded walk to Miranda in 10th lifts Yanks

By ANTHONY RIEBER. An entire organization and fan base exhaled at 11:59 last night.. That's when Juan Miranda drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning against Hideki Okajima to give the Yankees a 4-3 win over the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.. The Yankees dropped their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to one after a game that featured a dramatic home run by Alex Rodriguez, a blown save by Mariano Rivera as the Red Sox rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth, a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon as the Yankees rallied to tie it in the bottom of the ninth, and three lead changes in the final four innings.. Curtis Granderson started the 10th with a single off Okajima. Brett Gardner, attempting to sacrifice, dropped a bunt in front of the plate. Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez hit the speedy Gardner with his throw, sending Granderson to third.. After an intentional walk to Derek Jeter, pinch hitter Marcus Thames grounded a hard shot to third, and Adrian Beltre got a forceout at the plate. The lefthanded-hitting Miranda, who entered in the top of the 10th, was allowed to bat against the lefthanded Okajima. He walked on an inside 3-and-1 pitch to drive in Gardner with the winning run.. "I was ready to swing," Miranda said through interpreter Robinson Cano. "Everybody dreams about coming up and getting a chance in a big situation like that.". All the Yankees have to do is win one of their final six games to earn a berth in the postseason. They also will make it if Boston loses one of its final seven games.. "There's no question, this was a huge win," Rodriguez said. "There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. It was an enormous win for us, especially the last home game for a bit now. I think it would have been devastating to lose a game at home.". The Yankees also moved to within a half-game of the Rays in the AL East. Tampa Bay, which has seven games left, holds the tiebreaker for the division crown.. "I think I'll sleep once I get to Toronto," manager Joe Girardi said. "It is a good feeling in the clubhouse. It really is.". The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the seventh on Rodriguez's two-run home run to right-centerfield on an 0-and-2 pitch from Daisuke Matsuzaka, but Rivera blew the save in the ninth inning. The Red Sox scored two runs off Rivera - who was attempting a four-out save - and took a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the ninth.. But the Yankees sent the game into extra innings on Cano's bases-loaded single off Papelbon. With the bases still loaded, the Yankees had a chance to win right there, but Papelbon struck out Jorge Posada and got Lance Berkman to fly to right.. Before Rodriguez's home run, the Yankees had trailed 1-0 since Victor Martinez's two-out RBI single off surprise starter Phil Hughes in the third inning.. It certainly felt like a panic move when the Yankees reversed course and announced that Hughes, and not Dustin Moseley, would start Sunday night.. The vaunted innings limit the Yankees cited Friday as a reason for skipping Hughes was temporarily tossed aside. And Hughes did his part, allowing one run and pitching into the seventh.. The Yankees had planned to hold back Hughes until Wednesday. Girardi said the decision was made after Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox.. Was it a panic move? Girardi said no, that the Yankees had been preparing for the possibility that Hughes might start Sunday night by having him do his usual side work over the weekend.. "My job is to make decisions with the information that I have," Girardi said before the game. "People are going to look at it the way they want to. We've been trying to win games and trying to win our division and trying to win homefield advantage. We haven't stopped doing that. That's what we're trying to do.". The Red Sox scored two in the ninth with the help of four stolen bases. Ryan Kalish singled with one out and stole second and third (the latter with no throw from Posada) with Bill Hall batting.. With the infield in, Hall smashed a tying one-hop single past Rodriguez. Hall then stole second (without a throw) and third (one-hop throw) before pinch hitter Mike Lowell hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to give the Red Sox the lead.. "anthony.rieber@newsday.com.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,September 26, 2010

part of the game," said Rivera, who blew a save for the third time in his last six appearances. "We won the game. That's what matters."

The Yankees have been trying to thread a needle - trying to win games, but not at all costs. With a playoff spot seemingly locked up, they have attempted to rest and/or not overuse their key players during the last few weeks.

But the strategy hasn't worked out well. The Yankees were 6-13 in their previous 19 games, and the nine-game lead they held over the Red Sox after last Tuesday's games could have been cut to 41/2 Sunday night - with three more Yankees-Red Sox games at Fenway Park during the final weekend.

The Yankees were in this pickle in part because of poor starting pitching in three of the previous four games and a rain-shortened start by A.J. Burnett on Wednesday.

"Sometimes it's hard when your starters don't give you any distance," Girardi said. "All of a sudden, you're using your bullpen a little bit different that day. When you're doing it four days in a row, things can get a little messed up."

Before the game, Girardi announced the rotation for the three-game series in Toronto that starts Monday night: Burnett, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. So the Yankees decided to take four shots with their four best starters to clinch a playoff spot. So far, so good.