OAKLAND, Calif. - One hit, a mere single, was monumental for Jason Giambi at this stage - such a ridiculous notion for a slugger and former AL MVP.
Giambi finally got a hit to slow his long slump, and the New York Yankees produced plenty of offense even without a home run from Tino Martinez.
Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer and Tony Womack tripled in two runs to lead the Yankees to their season-best sixth straight victory, 9-4 over the slumping Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
And in this game, Giambi's hit meant nearly as much as Sheffield's shot.
"I come to the park every day, saying, 'Hey, today's the day I'm going to get that hit,"' said Giambi, hitless in his previous 18 at-bats before lining a single to right in the ninth. "There's no more pressure on me than I want to play well. I'm my own hardest critic. It seems like the harder you try, the worse you do in this game. I have a lot of confidence in my ability, and I came in with a great game plan from (hitting coach) Donnie (Mattingly)."
Mike Mussina (4-2) won his third straight start, striking out a season-high nine in seven strong innings as the Yankees won six in a row for the first time since last season's playoffs - just before their historic collapse in the AL championship series against the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
The 37-year-old Martinez, who had homered in five straight games, went 0-for-3 with a walk, two days after hitting a game-tying three-run shot against Seattle. Hideki Matsui drove in two runs for New York.
Giambi went 1-for-4, flailing miserably in his first three at-bats before lining a ninth-inning single to right to end a 4-for-41 slump and raise his batting average to .198. Two days after declining a trip to the minors, the former A's slugger began a stretch of planned playing time in an effort to save his job.
"I'm not looking to try to build Rome in a day, either," Giambi said. "I'm just going to try to stay on that path, working hard."
He hit eighth in the order - the same spot where he was Sunday for the first time since 1997 while with the A's - and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first three at-bats.
He struck out looking on three pitches in the second, flied out to right in the fourth and struck out again on a half-swing in the seventh when he seemingly was begging to get walked - getting booed lustily each time.
Manager Joe Torre will give Giambi a chance to play his way out of this drought. Giambi, the 34-year-old former AL MVP, is expected to be in the lineup for most of this six-game trip West, and the Yankees' brass will re-evaluate the situation after seeing what he does with the added playing time.
"It was nice to see Jason get the base hit," Torre said. "He certainly needed that. ... We'll see. He has a long way to go. The more at-bats he produces, the better he'll feel."
Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer and Tony Womack tripled in two runs to lead the Yankees to their season-best sixth straight victory, 9-4 over the slumping Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
And in this game, Giambi's hit meant nearly as much as Sheffield's shot.
"I come to the park every day, saying, 'Hey, today's the day I'm going to get that hit,"' said Giambi, hitless in his previous 18 at-bats before lining a single to right in the ninth. "There's no more pressure on me than I want to play well. I'm my own hardest critic. It seems like the harder you try, the worse you do in this game. I have a lot of confidence in my ability, and I came in with a great game plan from (hitting coach) Donnie (Mattingly)."
Mike Mussina (4-2) won his third straight start, striking out a season-high nine in seven strong innings as the Yankees won six in a row for the first time since last season's playoffs - just before their historic collapse in the AL championship series against the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
The 37-year-old Martinez, who had homered in five straight games, went 0-for-3 with a walk, two days after hitting a game-tying three-run shot against Seattle. Hideki Matsui drove in two runs for New York.
Giambi went 1-for-4, flailing miserably in his first three at-bats before lining a ninth-inning single to right to end a 4-for-41 slump and raise his batting average to .198. Two days after declining a trip to the minors, the former A's slugger began a stretch of planned playing time in an effort to save his job.
"I'm not looking to try to build Rome in a day, either," Giambi said. "I'm just going to try to stay on that path, working hard."
He hit eighth in the order - the same spot where he was Sunday for the first time since 1997 while with the A's - and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first three at-bats.
He struck out looking on three pitches in the second, flied out to right in the fourth and struck out again on a half-swing in the seventh when he seemingly was begging to get walked - getting booed lustily each time.
Manager Joe Torre will give Giambi a chance to play his way out of this drought. Giambi, the 34-year-old former AL MVP, is expected to be in the lineup for most of this six-game trip West, and the Yankees' brass will re-evaluate the situation after seeing what he does with the added playing time.
"It was nice to see Jason get the base hit," Torre said. "He certainly needed that. ... We'll see. He has a long way to go. The more at-bats he produces, the better he'll feel."
