Yankees Win Series against Texas with Another Nettles' Clutch Blast

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth of Game Three vs. the Rangers' great reliever Jim Kern the Yankee's Graig Nettles hits a walkoff homer to win the series. It's Nettle's third walkoff homer of the young season.

Don Mattingly continues to scorch the ball, batting .404 with four homers.

Check out the score of Game Two for a one-sided affair.

Game One: Texas 3, NYA 2
W: Tanana (2-1)
L: John (0-2)
S: Kern (2)

Frank Tanana keep Yankee bats at bay, only allowing five hits in 7.1 innings of work. The Yankees' Tommy John was also on his game, and the score was tied 2-2 after five. In the Texas sixth, singles by Buddy Bell and Ruben Sierra and a sac fly from Larry Parrish broke the deadlock. That was all Tanana and reliever Jim Kern needed, as the Yankees could only muster one single in the last three innings.

Game Two: NYA 17, Texas 1
W: Rasmussen (2-0)
L: Jenkins (0-3)

The Rangers were branded like Texas cattle by the Yankees bats, who gave them a major whupping from the first inning onward. Texas's Fergie Jenkins gave up four homers in the first, en route to nine Yankee runs in that frame, and hit the showers before the inning ended. Eight more New York runs off four Texas relievers continued the blowout. Dennis Rasmussen's brilliant three hitters was overshadowed by the hitting prowess. Both Don Mattingly and Reggie Jackson hit two long bombs in the game, and both stars also plated five RBIs. Texas would shrug its shoulders and hope to play better tomorrow.

Game Three: NYA 3, Texas 2

W: Gossage (3-0)
L: Kern (0-1)

The game of the series, this one a terrific pitching duel between the Yanks' Ron Guidry and the Rangers' Jon Matlack. A 0-0 tie was broken in the fifth on a Wayne Tolleson double and Scott Fletcher single that gave the Rangers the lead. A Larry Parrish homer in the sixth handed the Rangers a 2-0 edge off Guidry. Matlack was cruising, only giving up a suicide squeeze from Bucky Dent in the bottom of the eight to make it a 2-1 Texas lead. The score looked safe in the ninth with Texas reliever Jim Kern on the hill looking for his third save.  However, with two outs and a runner on first after a scratch single, the Yankees' Graig Nettles ran the count full against Kern. On an inside fastball, Nettles turned on it to wallop it to right for a two run homer. The Yankees win!