The Yankees have always had difficulty winning in Anaheim. They lost playoff series in 2002 and 2005 to the Angels and prior to this series it was seen as pivotal for their postseason psyche.

Last night they fought hard and pulled out a 6-5 victory with Mo slamming the door despite not having his best stuff. The Sandman was called upon again this afternoon and didn't disappoint.

A.J. Burnett pitched strong with eleven strikeouts and was followed by Damaso Marte, Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy. For Kennedy it was his first appearance in the major leagues since last year and he was able to pitch into and out of a bases loaded jam.

In the ninth with a slim 3-2 lead Rivera faced Bobby Abreu to start the inning. Abreu fought off a cutter on the hands and looped it over Jeter at short for a leadoff single. Mo then set up Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales and was able to strike both of them out swinging. Juan Rivera was the last hope and flew out to right center to end the game.

The save for Rivera is his 42nd of the season and 524th of his career. His season ERA now stands at 1.88. With the victory the Yankees magic number is reduced to five for clinching the AL East.

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