It was another marathon affair at The Stadium, but this time the Yanks came out on top.

Melky Cabrera singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the tenth to give the Yankees a hard-fought 12-11 victory over the Blue Jays in the Bronx.  It was a game filled with crappy pitching, questionable defense, sparkling defense, wasted opportunities and big hits.  This one had it all.  If this ballgame was a movie it would have been a summer blockbuster.  It sure wouldn't win any awards for best picture, but it would've been a rip-roaring good ride. 

The Red Sox also won so the Yanks remain 2.5 games back in the AL East, but the Tigers continued their free fall and the Bombers extended their lead in the wild card chase to 5.5 games.  The Yankees magic number for clinching the wild card now stands at three games.

The Good:

Melky Cabrera.  The Melk-Man delivered on offense and defense in the 10th inning.  He began the relay that nailed Matt Stairs at home for the final out in the top of the tenth and then ripped the game-winning hit in the bottom of the inning.  Melky also tied the score at 8-8 in the seventh with a two-run single and later knotted the game at 11-11 with another two-run hit in the eighth.  Unfortunately, Melky was a little too aggressive rounding first and was thrown out as he tried to scramble back.  Still, Cabrera was the Hero of the Day for the Yanks.  Melky finished 3 for 7 with a run scored and 5 RBIs.

Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod is officially out of his little funk.  Rodriguez helped the Yanks overcome a 3-1 deficit with a two-run double in the sixth to give the Bombers a short-lived 4-3 lead and later singled in the go-ahead run during a three-run rally in the seventh.  It's good to see A-Rod heat up as the Yankees charge toward the finish line.  A-Rod finished 4 for 5 with a walk, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.

Hideki Matsui.  Matsui looked good at the plate for the third time in the past four games and picked up his fourth triple of the season (honestly, right now I can't remember one that he's hit this season before Saturday's game).  In any event, Matsui collected three hits on Saturday and passed the 100-RBI plateau for the fourth time in five years since donning the pinstripes (really it's four in four years since he played in only 51 games last season).  However, Godzilla looks a bit tentative in left.  Matsui was never a great outfielder, but his skills seem to be eroding out there.  Maybe his knees are the reason.  Anyway, Godzilla finished 3 for 6 with 3 runs batted in.

The Bad:

Is there no relief?  The Yankee pen was abysmal on Saturday and the trifecta of Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Kyle Farnsworth was the big reason.  The unholy three combined to do this on Saturday: 1.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 WP.  It almost gives me a headache just writing that.  Hell, even Kei Igawa pitched better than any of those guys (and he gave up an inherited run and only recorded an out because the Jays got caught in a run down).  In the end the Yanks ended up using 10 pitchers in the game -- an new Yankee record.  It was a total team effort, thanks in large part to the the triumvirate of Veras, Ramirez and Farnsworth. 

The Ugly:

Almost like punching a clock.  The game was scheduled to begin at 1:00 (or 1:07 or whatever odd time they actually throw the first pitch), but the start of the contest was delayed an hour and a half due to rain (the official time came in at 1 hour 32 minutes).  Add the five hours it actually took to play this game and the final tally comes in at a tidy six hours and 32 minutes. 

Mike Mussina will try and keep the good times rolling (his and the Yanks) and guns for win number 11 on the year.  The Moose has been reborn in his last two starts and hasn't given up a run in his last 12.2 innings.  Mussina started his transformation on Sept. 12 in Toronto where he held the Blue Jays scoreless for five and picked up a victory.  The Jays will counter with Justin McGowan.  McGowan has pitched well this season (11-9, 3.84 ERA) and is 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA against the Bombers in 2007.

It's been a wild two games so far -- let's see what these teams have in store for Part III.