Yanks 4, 2; Blue Jays 2, 1

As the newspapers used to have it. Pettitte's comeback, Phelps's solid pitching in Game 2, Soriano's seven-out pair o' saves . . . But. What made this the most important day of the season for the Yankees (at least until tomorrow) was Ichiro's 7-for-8, his four steals, and his Game 2-winning RBI, whence he dumped the ball over third and into left with all the aplomb of Jimmy Connors, circa 1974, cutting loose with a two-handed backhand lob against John Newcombe. But those Orioles. Missed much of my bedtime to see the Orioles finish off a twenty-nine inning pair of wins . . . The O's season is a statistical anomaly for the books. 28-7 in one-run games, 15-2 (including 15 straight) in extra-inning games, 7-0 in extra-inning walk-offs. Never happen again.