Tribe does it A day after averting a sweep, New York’s high-octane offense fell flat once again

NEW YORK (AP) — Once Grady Sizemore hit a leadoff home run, the Cleveland Indians were headed to the AL championship series while the New York Yankees were braced for a showdown with their boss.

Paul Byrd and the Indians bullpen closed out New York 6-4 in Game 4 Monday night, completing another first-round debacle for the Yankees that might cost manager Joe Torre his job.

The Yankees came in streaking, overcoming a 21-29 start to win the AL wild card. But they were done in by poor pitching, an insect invasion and the latest October vanishing act by Alex Rodriguez, whose bat was quiet until a solo home run in the seventh inning.

The pesky Indians, who wasted a three-run lead in Game 3, chased Chien-Ming Wang in the second and burst ahead 4-0. Byrd kept wiggling out of trouble, and Victor Martinez’s two-run single made it 6-1 in the fourth against reliever Mike Mussina.

A day after averting a sweep, New York put runners on in each of the first seven innings. But when it counted, its high-octane offense fell flat once again, with late homers by Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu not enough.

Cleveland moves on to its first ALCS since 1998, opening Friday night at Boston. The Indians were only 2-5 against the Red Sox this season, but will have aces C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona rested for Fenway Park.

The Indians are seeking their first World Series title since 1948. The NL championship series starts Thursday night with Colorado at Arizona.

Bewildered New York opens yet another offseason of turmoil, another October over nearly as soon as it began. All eyes will be on owner George Steinbrenner, who said over the weekend that he didn’t think he’d keep Torre as manager if New York bowed with another early exit.

Torre managed the Yankees to four World Series titles in his first five years and reached the playoffs in all 12 of his seasons. Yet, that might not be enough for Steinbrenner, impatient his team of multimillionaires has gone seven years in a row with no title and hasn’t even gotten past the first round since 2004. If Torre does depart, Don Mattingly and Joe Girardi are the leading candidates to replace him.

Fans chanted Torre’s name when he made two trips to the mound in the eighth inning, handing the ball to Mariano Rivera for perhaps the final time in an era that brought the Yankees success they had not enjoyed since the 1950s.

A disappointed crowd of 56,315 also might have seen Rodriguez in pinstripes for the final time. A likely MVP during the regular season, A-Rod was largely AWOL in the postseason for the third straight year, striking out with two on in the first and again leading off the third.

Rodriguez, who can opt of his record $252 million, 10-year contract next month, did hit a solo homer off Rafael Perez in the seventh — ending a streak of 57 consecutive postseason at-bats without an RBI since 2004. He finished 4-for-15 in the series.

Wang, battered for eight runs in New York’s opening 12-3 loss, was chased after just three outs — the shortest start of the 27-year-old’s short career.

Sizemore homered on the third pitch of the game, hitting a 95 mph fastball with little sink for just his second shot since Aug. 28. Jhonny Peralta lofted a two-RBI single to center.

Cleveland loaded the bases in the second on two singles and a hit batter — the Yankees argued that Kelly Shoppach was fouled off his bunt attempt, but umpires decided it hit a hand. That was it for Wang, whose stats will be besmirched with a 19.06 ERA in this series.

Indians manager Eric Wedge was questioned for not using Sabathia on short rest over Byrd on Monday night but Byrd came up big. He allowed runners in every inning but pitched out of jams with his assortment of offspeed stuff.

CLEVELANDNEW YORK

abrhbiabrhbi

Szmore cf3221Damon lf5010

ACbera 2b4011Jeter ss5021

Hafner dh3110BAbreu rf5121

VMrtnz 1b5022ARod 3b5121

JhPlta ss4031Posada c5010

Lofton lf5000Matsui dh2100

Gutirrz rf5110Cano 2b4121

Blake 3b5110MeCbr cf4010

Shppch c3120Mntkw 1b1000

Duncan 1b1010

Giambi 1b1000

Totals376135Totals384124

Cleveland220200000—6

New York010001101—4

DP—Cleveland 1, New York 2. LOB—Cleveland 11, New York 10. 2B—Shoppach 2 (2), Posada (1). HR—Sizemore (1), BAbreu (1), ARodriguez (1), Cano (2). S—ACabrera.

IPHRERBBSO

Cleveland

Byrd W,1-0582222

RPerez231111

RBetancourt100002

Borowski S,1111101

New York

Wang L,0-2154400

Mussina4 2-342243

Villone1-300000

Farnsworth110002

Veras1-310011

MRivera1 2-320001

Byrd pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Wang pitched to 3 batters in the 2nd. HBP—by Wang (Shoppach). Umpires—Home, Fieldin Culbreth; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Jim Wolf; Third, Bruce Froemming; Left, Laz Diaz; Right, Ron Kulpa. T—4:03. A—56,315.