Yankees Take 3-2 World Series Lead

By Stephen M. Silverman

11/02/2001 at 02:58 PM EST

Who doesn't believe in miracles? Not the New York Yankees, who pulled off the amazing on Thursday for two nights running. Jolting reliever Byung-Hyun Kim with another dose of World Series midnight magic, the Yankees beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in a 12-inning Game 5 that spilled into early Friday. Scott Brosius saved the Yankees with a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth, then Alfonso Soriano singled home the winning run to give New York a three-games-to-two edge. The Yankees were one out away from defeat for the second straight night when they victimized Kim again. A day earlier, it was Tino Martinez who tagged him for a two-out, two-run shot in the ninth then Derek Jeter homered in the 10th to win it. "I can't be surprised. It just happened the day before," Yankee manager Joe Torre was quoted by the Associated Press on Friday morning. Once Brosius tied it with his homer, there seemed to be little doubt about the eventual outcome. Especially for a team that makes a habit of late comebacks in the postseason. "It seemed like the whole situation was set again, and it happened again," Brosius said. The Yankees became the first team in postseason history to win two straight games when trailing after eight innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "You know they have to be thinking, 'I can't believe this is happening.' Not one night, but two nights in a row," Yankees starter Mike Mussina said, adding "I think we're all feeling the same emotions we were feeling 24 hours ago."