Ibanez saved the Yankees with a two-run HR in the bottom of the ninth. (
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ONE FOR THE MONEY: Ichiro Suzuki celebrates as Francisco Cervelli scores the game-winning run in the 12th inning on a hit by Raul Ibanez. (
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He runs like damp cement and his head hasn’t felt the sensation of a brush in years.
On a team of Baseball Senior Citizens, Raul Ibanez fits like a comfortable shoe. Last night, it was his clutch bat that pushed the Yankees one game away from winning the AL East.
Not only did Ibanez deliver a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth that tied the score, his ground-ball single through the left side scored Francisco Cervelli from second and lifted the Yankees to a pulsating, 4-3, 12-inning victory over the Red Sox in front of 41,564 at the Stadium.
“I am blessed to be in this situation and be part of it,’’ said the 40-year-old Ibanez, who homered off right-hander Andrew Bailey as a pinch-hitter for Eduardo Nunez and singled in the 12th off lefty Andrew Miller.
The victory puts the Yankees in a position to close out the pesky Orioles tonight and claim their 13th AL East title with a victory. That would send the Yankees to the ALDS and avoid a playoff game to decide the East in Baltimore tomorrow and keep them out of the sudden-death wild-card game Friday.
Yet, a Yankees loss tonight when they face Daisuke Matsuzaka and counter with Hiroki Kuroda, coupled with an Orioles win over the Rays, would set up a one-game playoff at Camden Yards. The loser would fall into wild-card uncertainty.
Lending hope to tonight’s tilt is Matsuzaka being 1-6 with a 7.68 ERA in 10 starts this season.
“It was a tremendous job by everybody,’’ said Derek Lowe, who pitched the 11th and 12th innings, didn’t allow a run and was the winner. “We were down 2-0, and it was our job to keep us in the game because we are one swing away.’’
Through eight innings the Yankees trailed, 2-1, because they couldn’t convert 11 hits into more than a run. The deficit grew when Rafael Soriano, suddenly struggling after a wonderful season filling in for Mariano Rivera, gave up a ninth-inning homer to James Loney.
With Curtis Granderson on first with a leadoff single in the ninth, Ibanez hit a 1-2 pitch into the right-field seats.
“I was trying to put a short swing on it and wasn’t trying to do too much,’’ Ibanez said of his 19th homer.
The Yankees loaded the bases with one out, but Mark Melancon got the final two outs to send the game into extra innings.
Cervelli, who appeared in one game without an at-bat since being called up Sept. 1, drew a 3-2, two-out walk in the 12th. Granderson followed with a four-pitch walk and Ibanez won it with an opposite-field single.
“You are going to be in that situation when you play here,’’ Ibanez said.
Starter David Phelps allowed two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings and the runs scored in the first.
Nobody was happier with the win than Mark Teixeira, who went 0-for-6 and grounded into double plays — with runners on first and third and one out — in the first and third innings.
“It couldn’t have gone worse and we won,’’ Teixeira said.
So, after 161 games the Yankees are nine innings away from being AL East champions and never having to hear about flushing a 10-game lead.
“If you win, you win the division,’’ Joe Girardi said. “We have a chance to have the best record [and home-field in the ALDS and ALCS.] That’s a good feeling.’’
george.king@nypost.com