Yankees stunned and done

DETROIT -- They were embarrassed, not to mention angry with themselves, in a quiet clubhouse where the positive air that always filters in -- in good times or in bad -- was stifling in its absence.

There was a little denial, too.

``We still are the best team," said Johnny Damon after the Yankees lost to the Tigers, 8-3, and were knocked out of the American League Division Series in four games. ``The best team doesn't always win."

The ``best team" opinion was not on general manager Brian Cashman's lips.

Staring at the floor with a look of anguish, Cashman, who must answer to George Steinbrenner, responded, ``We didn't earn the right to say that."

Down the hall, the champagne was flowing in the Tigers' clubhouse, with ear-popping noise coming from corks and the euphoria that overtook the room. Why not? David had just beaten Goliath.

David, in this case, was a Tigers team that proved the old adage that good pitching (AL-best 3.84 ERA) will beat good hitting (the Yankees scored 930 runs) every time.

Jeremy Bonderman followed Kenny Rogers's gem Friday night with one of his own yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park, as Detroit advanced to the American League Championship Series against Oakland.

Tigers fans were on their feet at game's end, waving orange towels. They did manage to get in a few derisive Yankees and A-Rod chants along the way. At least that was tamer than in 1984, when fans outside the old Tiger Stadium were turning over cars and setting them on fire in celebration of their World Series championship.

It was one of the few days when the Michigan-Michigan State football game took a back seat to anything around here. There may be more days like this ahead.

``Bonder-ful!" read the message that flickered on the small message boards along the foul lines. And Bonderful it was. The 23-year-old righthander knew he couldn't let down a town that had been void of playoff baseball for 19 years. Not after he squandered a 6-0 lead against Kansas City in the regular-season finale to cost the Tigers the AL Central title and a celebration.

Bonderman had plenty of time to reflect on that game. ``I wasn't going to let that happen tonight," said Bonderman. ``The guys got me the lead and I wasn't going to let up and I wasn't going to give it back."

There was no giving back. He no-hit the Yankees for five innings, dominating them until Robinson Cano's leadoff single in the sixth. The Yankees were blanked for 20 innings before scoring in the seventh, cutting the margin to 8-1.

After left fielder Craig Monroe, who also homered in the second, dived to rob Gary Sheffield of a single in the ninth, manager Jim Leyland took out the righthander to a roaring ovation.

The game plan, so masterfully drawn by Tigers pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, was to come right at the Yankees, and not nibble in fear. Bonderman, like Rogers the night before, had complete command. Wherever catcher Pudge Rodriguez set his mitt, Bonderman hit it, with movement and velocity.

``I think, to be honest, we caught some breaks with the shadows," said Leyland. ``It was a little tough to see. I was just so proud of the aggressiveness of our pitching staff, particularly the last couple of nights, and even [Justin] Verlander."

The Tigers lineup, which bashed 203 homers this season, was more than up to the task of solving Yankees starter Jaret Wright. Magglio Ordonez led off the second with a home run to left and, three batters later, Monroe hit a hanging curveball for a two-run shot.

As well as the Tigers pitched, that's how badly the Yankees hit. In four games, they had a .246 average and scored only 14 runs.

``It starts at the top," said Damon, ``and I didn't get it going. When I get things going, it makes everything go smooth.

``We were very frustrated. After Game 1 [an 8-4 win], we commented to each other that we probably have our offense cranking now. But Game 2 [a 4-3 loss] was very important and we couldn't pull it out. In the playoffs, if you have a chance to go 2-0 in the best-of-five, that's pretty tough. We lost that chance. They just pitched us very well. Rogers and Bonderman were terrific."

The Tigers led, 3-0, after two innings, a lead that was certainly not insurmountable for these Yankees, but an Alex Rodriguez error came at a most inopportune time.

Wright had retired the first two batters in the third inning when Ordonez hit a grounder to third, which Rodriguez short-hopped on the backhand and dropped. Rodriguez picked up the ball with plenty of time, but his side-arm throw was to the home plate side of the bag and inexperienced first baseman Gary Sheffield couldn't catch it with Ordonez bearing down.

Carlos Guillen ( .571 in the series) and Pudge Rodriguez followed with singles to make it 4-0.

With that, Joe Torre brought in Cory Lidle, but the Yankees' trading deadline pitching acquisition was also unimpressive. He allowed four straight hits to start the fifth and was pulled. Brian Bruney came in and gave up a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez for a 7-0 margin.

Detroit lefthander Jamie Walker allowed a two-run homer to Jorge Posada with two outs in the ninth, but by that time the Tigers had reacquired the swagger that a five-game losing streak at the end of the year had taken from them.

``In spring training when we played the Yankees," said Leyland, ``I said, `I want to get to where we take the field like the Yankees.' There's a special air about them. There's a special confidence, not cockiness.

``I said that's the level that we want to get to. We've got to get that quiet swagger. It's just ironic that we play them in the playoffs and, fortunately, we beat them."