But he still pitched into the ninth, despite surrendering 12 hits and four walks, and prevailed as the Yankees won, 11-2, over the first-place Tigers.

The Orioles were raging at home, having swept the first-place Tigers and had won 18 of their last 21 over all.

With Detroit's loss to the White Sox, New York remains two and a half games behind the first-place Tigers.

In the ninth, he set down three more batters and the Yankees remained two games behind the first-place Tigers.

The next big ECAC game will be at Princeton tomorrow when Vermont, moving up in the standing, skates against the first-place Tigers.

They trail the first-place Tigers by one and a half games and the second-place Yankees by a half game.

The loss pushed the Yankees two and a half games behind the first-place Tigers and New York must sweep the next three games to move ahead of them.

In winning 11 of 12 from Detroit, the Twins outscored the first-place Tigers, 65-18, after dropping the first meeting this season, 7-0.

The first-place Tigers increased their lead in the American League East to three and a half games over the Yankees and the Red Sox, who didn't play.

"Let's see what Detroit does tonight," Piniella said of the first-place Tigers.