Yankees, Mariano barely hang on to beat Orioles

Yankees 8, O's 7 (completion of suspended game)

BALTIMORE -- The New York Yankees finished what they started exactly one month earlier, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Friday night in the completion of a game suspended on June 28.

New York had just gone ahead 8-6 in the top of the eighth inning when play was suspended after a rain delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes. Derek Jeter singled in the go-ahead runs just before a driving shower caused the umpires to call for the tarpaulin.

The game resumed at that point. Facing Rob Bell in the ninth inning, New York's Alex Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. Had he hit a home run, Rodriguez would have reached the 500-mark but it officially would have been his 493rd, because the game will go into the record book as being played on June 28.

After Baltimore scored four runs in the rain-interrupted seventh to go up 6-4, New York came back. John Parrish (2-1) walked the first two batters before yielding an RBI double to Melky Cabrera and a run-scoring grounder to Robinson Cano.

Chris Ray came in and retired Andy Phillips on a grounder for the second out, but Johnny Damon beat out an infield hit and stole second to put runners at second and third for Jeter. With the rain intensifying and the grounds crew poised behind the tarp, Jeter lined a two-run single up the middle.

Before 1980, the score would have reverted to the start of the inning, giving the Orioles a 6-4 win. But the rule was changed after a game on Aug. 13, 1978, when Baltimore led 3-0 after six innings and the Yankees scored five runs in the top of the seventh.

Mike Myers (2-0) got the last out in the Baltimore seventh and returned to pitch to two batters in the eighth. Mariano Rivera got five outs for his 16th save, allowing an RBI single in the ninth to Ramon Hernandez. Brian Roberts singled with two outs and, with runners at the corners, Brandon Fahey bounced into a game-ending forceout to second.

Baltimore insisted at the time that play should never had been resumed after the first delay. Third baseman Melvin Mora, who's now on the disabled list, was ejected for arguing the point.

Roberts homered and Kevin Millar had three hits for Baltimore, denied its first three-game sweep of the Yankees since April 2005.

Phillips hit his first home run of the season and eight different players scored for New York.

In the regularly scheduled game, Andy Pettitte was scheduled to start for New York against Jeremy Guthrie.

Game notes
Orioles SS Miguel Tejada came off the 15-day disabled list and was immediately inserted into the game. He was on the DL when the game started. ... The Yankees on Friday sent struggling LHP Kei Igawa to Triple-A Scranton and recalled INF Chris Basak from the same club.