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The Pinstripe Alley Top Moments Tournament continues with the 2000-present bracket. Vote for the moment that deserves to move on in the poll below.
#2: Late-game homers in 2001 World Series
Already down two games to one to the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series, the Yankees were mowed down easily by Curt Schilling and trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4. The Yankees offense has mustered all of four runs scored to that point of the series. Exceptional D'Backs closer Byung-Hyun Kim came on for his second inning of work, and there was no real reason for Yankees fans to think there were any surprises left in the team's aging bats. But with two outs and Paul O'Neill on base, Tino Martinez crushed the first offering from Kim that he saw over the wall in right-center to tie the game up at 3 runs apiece. The job was only half done, so it was up to Derek Jeter. Shortly after the time struck midnight signalling the first instance of November baseball, The Captain responded to the unique occasion by lining a Kim offering the opposite way that just barely cleared the wall, giving the Yankees a shocking 4-3 victory in ten innings.
The absurdity was far from over, however, as the Yankees continued their paltry hitting and found themselves down in the final frame of Game 5 as well, trailing 2-0. Kim was on the mound again, once more only one final out from shutting the door on the Yankees. With Jorge Posada on, Scott Brosius played the role of hero hitting his two-run homer off Kim to square the game at 2-2. A devastated Kim was not left out there to languish for another batter as he was the night before, but it wouldn't matter. In the 12th an Alfonso Soriano single scored the winning run to give the Yankees a 3-2 series advantage. They were the first team ever with two back-to-back postseason victories after trailing going into the ninth inning.
#7: A-Rod HR off Nathan ties '09 ALDS Game 2
The reputation of Alex Rodriguez being a playoff "choker" was already cemented in the minds of many Yankees fans by the time the 2009 postseason rolled around. Having his own signature playoff moment in pinstripes would go a long way to destroying that reputation, and the opportunity arrived in the form of Twins closer (and active saves leader) Joe Nathan.
The heavily-favored Yankees were in grave danger of losing home field advantage to the Twins due to a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth of Game 2 of the ALDS. The Yankees worked quickly to remedy this as Mark Teixeira lead off with a single. Rodriguez followed, and after working the count in his favor he deposited Nathan's 3-1 offering over the right-centerfield wall to tie the game up at 3-3. Teixeira would complete the comeback with his own opposite field blast to win the game for the Yanks 4-3. It was only the beginning of a superb 2009 playoffs for Rodriguez as the Yankees captured their 27th championship.
