NEW YORK Williams hits 2 HRs, celebrates 35th birthday

His blasts helped the Yankess turn back Tampa Bay 6-5 for their seventh straight win.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bernie Williams gave Yankees fans a pair of reasons to celebrate his 35th birthday.
Showing signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump, Williams hit two homers in a game for the first time in more than a year Saturday. Ruben Sierra added a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, and New York beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-5 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader for its seventh straight win.
Before the game, New York manager Joe Torre found it hard to believe that his center fielder had turned 35.
"He is old," the 63-year-old Torre said playfully. "Maybe I'll give him a birthday present. He has to give me one first."
Williams gave the Yankees a solo homer on the first pitch he saw from Rob Bell in the second inning, then drove Bell's pitch into the first row of the upper deck in the sixth for a 5-4 lead. It was the first multihomer game for Williams since May 17 last year against Minnesota.
Before his go-ahead homer against Boston last Sunday, Williams had been in a 9-for-60 slump. That was the first of four home runs he's hit on the homestand, which have boosted his season total to 14. He had three hits Saturday, his first three-hit game since Aug. 23, and came out of the dugout for a curtain call after the second homer.
Aaron Boone and John Flaherty hit second-inning RBI doubles for the Yankees, who began the day four games ahead of second-place Boston in the AL East. On a rainy afternoon, New York also got a run in the fourth on a passed ball by catcher Pete Laforest.
After Tampa Bay tied the score 5-all in the seventh against Gabe White (2-0), Sierra led off the eighth with a homer to center off Joe Kennedy (3-12). Juan Rivera was the right fielder in New York's original lineup, but Torre put in Sierra to get him some at-bats, and he responded with his first home run since July 18.
Rivera earns 36th save
Mariano Rivera finished for his 36th save in 42 chances.
Jeff Weaver, starting because of the doubleheader, allowed singles to his first three batters, falling behind 2-0 in the first on Julio Lugo's RBI single and Laforest's sacrifice fly. Laforest tied it 3-all with a sacrifice fly in the third, and Lugo knotted it at 4 with an RBI grounder in the sixth off Felix Heredia.
White threw a called third strike past Jared Sandberg to get out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the seventh, but he allowed Carl Crawford's leadoff comebacker in the eighth to go through his legs for an error, and Aubrey Huff singled in Crawford.
Notes
Andy Pettitte left the Yankees on Friday because his son Jared had an asthma attack, Torre said, but the pitcher was expected back Saturday night. ... Torre said if OF Dave Dellucci doesn't return from his sprained ankle in time for the playoffs, New York might carry 11 pitchers instead of 10. ... Travis Lee's 35th double tied a career high. ... After watching runners thrown out at the plate Thursday and Friday on what would have been Hideki Matsui's 100th RBI, Torre joked: "Matsui may not knock in 100 runs. If he hits a home run, he may miss a base going around." Matsui grounded to first with the bases loaded in the seventh, colliding with 1B Lee. Matsui, who fell on the ball, took a long time to get up after the collision and came out of the game. ... Mike Mussina (16-7) was to start the second game for the Yankees against Carlos Reyes (0-2). ... After getting four hits Friday, Jason Giambi was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. ... Derek Jeter was hit on the left hand in the seventh by Chad Gaudin's pitch but remained in the game. ... Tampa Bay outhit New York 14-10.
TAMPA BAYNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf5220ASrano 2b5000
Lugo ss4122NJhnsn 1b4010
Huff rf5031Jeter ss2000
Baldelli cf5120JaGbi dh4000
TLee 1b4020BWllms cf3232
Lforest c2002Matsui lf4120
Piatt ph1010JRivra lf0000
Vlentin c1000Sierra rf4111
Gomes dh3000KGarca rf0000
AMrtin dh1000ABoone 3b4221
MAndn 2b5120Flherty c3011
Sndbrg 3b4000
Totals405145Totals336105
Tampa Bay201001010--5
New York03010101x--6
E--Crawford (3), Flaherty (2), GWhite (1). LOB--Tampa Bay 12, New York 7. 2B--TLee (35), Piatt (12), MAnderson (25), Matsui (42), ABoone (11), Flaherty (7). HR--BWilliams 2 (14), Sierra (8). SB--Crawford (49), Sierra (2), ABoone 2 (8). S--Lugo. SF--Laforest.
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
RBell5 1-385424
Gaudin110002
JKennedy L,3-121 2-311102
New York
Weaver593312
Heredia1 1-341100
Nelson000010
GWhite W,2-01 2-311001
MRivera S,36100000
Nelson pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP--by JKennedy (BWilliams), by Gaudin (Jeter). PB--Laforest. Umpires--Home, Greg Gibson; First, James Hoye; Second, Gary Darling; Third, Jay Klemm. T--3:02.