SEATTLE — Is there any obstacle too large for the Yankees to overcome?
When they asked David Phelps to share a Safeco Field mound with Felix Hernandez on Sunday, the scene appeared ready for a mismatch.
Yet Phelps, who has taken over the role of “best young Yankee pitcher,” stayed with Hernandez and watched Chris Stewart’s two-out single in the ninth inning carry the Yankees to a 2-1 victory that was witnessed by 43,389.
The victory went to David Robertson (4-1) and Mariano Rivera posted his 23rd save in 24 attempts.
Brett Gardner, who has at least one hit in 15 of the last 17 games, went 4-for-5 and drove in the Yankees’ first run.
So, after getting swept in four games by the Mets in the Subway Series and dropping three of four to the Red Sox, the Yankees have won six of seven.
The 10-game West Coast road trip takes a vacation today before continuing with the first of three against the A’s tomorrow night in Oakland.
Phelps worked six innings, giving up a run and three hits. In seven frames, Hernandez allowed a run and five hits.
Stewart’s ground single to left off Yoervis Medina with two outs in the ninth scored Ichiro Suzuki from second to put the Yankees up a run.
Robertson watched Alex Liddi, the eighth-place hitter, lead off the eighth with an opposite-field double just out of reach for Ichiro in right.
After Brendan Ryan bunted Liddi to third, Robertson fanned Jason Bay and Nick Franklin with unhittable curve balls.
In Phelps’ last two outings, he has worked 12 innings, allowed a run and four hits, walked seven and fanned 13.
After giving up an RBI infield single to Ryan in the second, Phelps retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. The only batter to reach was Kyle Seager via a one-out walk in the third.
Hernandez gave Safeco’s largest crowd of the season a scare in the seventh inning when he walked awkwardly off the hill toward first base after striking out Stewart.
Manager Eric Wedge and trainer Rick Griffin went to check on Hernandez, who has experienced in-game back problems this year. The Mariners ace remained in the game and blew a 97-mph fastball by Gardner for the third out.
Gardner was 3-for-3 against Hernandez before fanning. His one-out double in the fifth put the Yankees in position to take the lead, but Robinson Cano fouled out and Mark Teixeira whiffed.
Lefty Charlie Furbush replaced Hernandez at the beginning of the eighth and hit Cano with a 79-mph breaking ball to start the frame.
With Teixeira at the plate, Cano went to second on a wild pitch.
Teixeira chased what would have been a fourth ball and fanned on a 3-2 pitch. Travis Hafner fouled out and the right-handed Medina entered and retired Vernon Wells on a one-hopper back to the mound.
george.king@nypost.com