Yankees hold on to extend lead

Jose Vizcaino celebrates the winning run on Saturday

Subway Series - Game 2

NY Yankees 6-5 NY Mets

(After 9 innings)

The Yankees opened up a 2-0 lead in the Subway Series after surviving a ninth innings fightback by the Mets.

They looked to be cruising to victory after romping into a 6-0 lead, but two and three-run homers from Mike Piazza and Joe Payton respectively gave the Mets the scent of an unlikely triumph.

The Yankees refused to panic, though, and kept their nerve to finish the job off and prevent a possible repeat of Monday's marathon contest.

Almost immediately, the game was plunged into chaos after a confrontation between Yankees starter Roger Clemens and Piazza - the first time they had met since Clemens beaned his opponent with a fastball back in July.

Piazza's bat splintered as he struck the ball and Clemens immediately picked up the broken barrel and threw it back towards him.

Piazza could not believe what had happened and as he went to remonstrate, players from both sides rushed into the middle to have their say before calm was restored.

Strolled

The Yankees opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, Tino Martinez hitting out to get David Justice home for a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later they doubled their tally as Jay Payton fumbled Jorge Posada's strike in the field and Bernie Williams strolled in.

Lenny Harris almost brought the Mets right back into it at the top of the second, but his soaring attempt just fell the wrong side of the yellow foul pole.

Scott Brosius made the visitors pay the full price when he hammered a one-run homer off Mike Hampton in the bottom of the second - the first home run of the Subway Series.

It left the Mets facing an uphill struggle to stop their opponents from running away with the contest, and things got worse before they got better.

The Yankees had the bit between their teeth, taking full advantage of some slipshod fielding and uncertain pitching to turn the screw.

Paul O'Neill extended the lead to four with an RBI single in the fourth after Jorge Posada had intentionally walked and Posada trotted home in the seventh off Brosius' hit to make it 5-0.

When Derek Jeter scored off Martinez at the bottom of the eighth, there looked no way back for the Mets, yet within a matter of minutes, the game was almost turned on its head.

Clemens had played a blinder, with nine strike-outs and when Piazza finally let off steam for the earlier fireworks, it was reliever Jeff Nelson who bore the brunt.

He launched himself at the ball to crack a sweet two-run homer which bounced back off the foul pole to see off Nelson and finally put some runs on the board for the Mets.

Todd Zeile came within a whisker of adding another two, but his leftfield drive was picked off the top of the wall.

Rookie Payton took the ninth innings total to five with a magnificent three-run homer off Mariano Rivera, but he was powerless to stop the Yankees completing a record 14-straight World Series win.

Rivera tied it up shortly afterwards, striking out Kurt Abbott to redeem himself.

The two teams now go to the Shea Stadium on Tuesday night for game three of the best-of-seven series.