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NEW YORK -- Mariano Rivera stood on the mound, looking down at his cleats. Somehow, hed let yet another lead slip away. Never before had baseballs all-time saves leader blown three straight chances. Silenced by a pair of Detroit home runs, the fans at Yankee Stadium soon perked up. Brett Gardner homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the New York Yankees over the Tigers 5-4 Sunday for their first series win in more than a month. Rivera has a record 643 saves, but had never failed three in a row in 1,087 previous relief appearances. His troubles began in Chicago, where he gave back a lead to the White Sox. "At least its the first time, you know what I mean?" Rivera said. "I just try to go out there and do my job. The last three opportunities, I havent done it. So we have to continue battling and get better. Have to keep working and eventually it will happen." Rivera blew both save chances in this series. Gardner provided the winning hit in both games. "Mos bailed us out a few times," Gardner said. "It didnt matter if it was me or somebody else, we just needed to get a win today and Im glad we made it happen." Rivera (3-2) gave up another homer to a limping Miguel Cabrera, plus a drive to Victor Martinez in the top of the ninth. The solo shots made it 4-all and turned Alex Rodriguezs first homer of the season into a footnote. But Gardner connected off Jose Veras (0-5). The feisty centre fielder flipped his batting helmet to A-Rod just before reaching the plate, then jumped into a cluster of teammates at home. "To Martinez, that ball was just laying right flat up. And also with Miguel," Rivera said. "Youre facing professional hitters. If you dont put the ball where you need to, youre going to get hit." On Friday night, Rivera gave up a two-run shot to Cabrera, who fouled two balls off his leg before launching the tying drive. Gardner won it in the 10th with a single. Manager Joe Girardi is hardly going to start worrying now about the 43-year-old pitcher generally regarded as the best closer ever. "Its not like you forget how to pitch in a week," Girardi said. "Its impossible." Alfonso Soriano homered for his 2,000th hit in the fourth inning. He connected off Justin Verlander, as did Rodriguez. "All great pitchers have one thing in common: they attack you and throw strikes," Rodriguez on why hes had success against Verlander -- four homers in 28 at-bats. Rodriguez, who has missed most of the year while coming back from hip surgery, hit a leadoff homer in the second. His 648th career home run pushed him past Stan Musial for fifth on the RBIs list with 1,951. "It was a tremendous homer by A-Rod," Pena said. "Justin Verlander threw a great inside pitch and he used his hands and sometimes you just have to credit the hitter." Lustily booed Friday night in his season debut at Yankee Stadium, he quickly turned fans around Sunday with a soaring shot to left field that made it 1-all. Rodriguez drove in one more run with a single down the first base line in the third. "Felt good to get the first one out of the way," Rodriguez said. "Today was a step in the right direction." Late lineup-addition Brayan Pena homered in the eighth off Yankees setup man David Robertson, cutting Detroits deficit to 4-2. Pena played for Alex Avila, who was placed on the 7-day concussion list after the game. Avila was hit in the mask by a foul ball Thursday but played Saturday. He was in the initial lineup Sunday. On a glorious August afternoon in the Bronx, the Yankees avoided dropping to .500 for the first time since April 13, improving to 59-57. Taking two of three from the AL Central leaders gave New York its first series win July 5-7 after an 0-5-3 stretch. Gardner started a long-distance double play to end the eighth inning by leaping against the centre field wall to catch Torii Hunters fly and preserve the 4-2 lead. Prince Fielder had an RBI single in the first off Andy Pettitte, the eighth straight game the lefty allowed a run in the opening inning. Thats the longest such streak by a Yankees pitcher, according to STATS research back to 1920. Rodriguez made a stellar play in the eighth when he reached deep behind third base on Austin Jacksons grounder and threw to second to nail Jose Iglesias for the first out. Tigers manager Jim Leyland disputed the call, and TV replays appeared to back him up. Leyland was back on the field one batter later. Shaken after catching Hunters fly, Gardner flipped the ball to Soriano. The left fielder threw the ball to shortstop Eduardo Nunez, who tossed it to second baseman Robinson Cano. Cano easily tagged Austin Jackson, who stood confused on second base. "As I lowered my head as I rounded back to make sure I stepped on second base, I saw the ball on the ground so I thought it hadnt been caught," Jackson said. "Sometimes you have no way of telling whats going on behind you. It happens sometimes. He made a great catch." Half the team met Gardner at the dugout steps to congratulate the centre fielder. They all pounced on him after his homer. NOTES: Verlander gave up seven hits and four runs in seven innings. He struck out nine and walked one. ... Rodriguez was given an error in the third on Martinezs slow roller that he ran in for but couldnt scoop with his glove. ... Rodriguezs two hits were his first off a right-hander in 25 at-bats dating to last years playoffs. ... The Tigers recalled C Bryan Holaday from Triple-A Toledo after the game. Nike Air Max 98 Mens Running Shoes . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Air Max 98 Og For Sale . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. http://www.airmax98forsale.com/ . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Cheap Nike Air Max 98 . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Air Max 98 For Sale . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. CHASKA, Minn. -- Its not the noise thats so jarring on the first tee of the Ryder Cup. No, you expect that. Even without the familiar U-shaped bleachers surrounding the perimeter, you know its going to be loud.On this brisk Minnesota morning, it started predictably early. The American fans were just behind the tee, leading chants in their red, white and blue hockey jerseys and Viking-horn hats.The European fans, down the left side, were singing songs and dancing, head-to-toe in blue and gold outfits, topped by tam-o-shanter caps and completed with matching socks pulled to the knees.More frenzied than a football game, more anticipatory than a rock concert, more rollicking than a roller coaster, the atmosphere on the first tee resembles no other.The underlying tone for each faction of fans is something to the effect of: We want to beat you, but, really, were just here to have a good time; but no, seriously, well only have a good time if we beat you.And so they sing and chant, and chant and sing. Back and forth, like a tennis rally of vigorous hopefulness bouncing from one end of the tee to the next.On Friday, they even cheered together. With the Ryder Cup golf bag of the late Arnold Palmer standing alone on the ground below, the supporters from both sides saluted their fallen hero in unison: AR-NOLD PAL-MER! AR-NOLD PAL-MER! It was enough to give your goosebumps the chills.But that wasnt the most jolting part of the festivities. None of the noise was. No, it was the silence.For the 10 seconds before each of the eight tee shots in the opening foursomes session, the noise didnt lessen. It didnt die down or dwindle. It stopped.Dead silence. From raucous bellowing to not a single trickle of sound floating through the air, as if it was all swallowed up by a vacuum. It was like stepping out of a keg party and into a church.Thats why Justin Rose, who hit the very first tee shot of the morning, said beforeehand: Its a moment to try and enjoy the best you can.dddddddddddd Its clearly nerve-wracking and its not a moment you can really prepare for. Just expect to be nervous, get it airborne and forward.Ryder Cup year after Ryder Cup year, player after player, this opening tee shot is considered the most harrowing, stressful shot in tournament golf.The dichotomy between the boisterous celebration before each drive and the deafening silence during them, combined with the enormity of the moment, is enough to make the surest ball-striker start shaking. At some point, though, they have to swing.And as soon as the clubface makes contact, as soon as the ball starts its ascension into the sky, the party starts up again.The American fans, borrowing an anthem from their soccer brethren, chanted Friday: I believe; I believe that we; I believe that we will win.To which one of the blue-and-gold-clad European fans invariably responded as a solo: I believe that WE will win.Then there are the songs -- and lets make one thing very apparent: When it comes to lyrics, the Europeans have already closed out the match.They sang individual songs for every single player. Kaymer Chameleon (parodying Culture Clubs Karma Chameleon) for Martin Kaymer. To the tune of Thats Amore, they sang, Thats Garcia. And Hey Lee for Lee Westwood, mimicking The Beatles Hey Jude.Even Darius Rucker, who was hanging out inside the ropes at the tee, smiled and acknowledged the phrasing, if not the melody.From keg party to church and back again. Eight times Friday morning, as the foursomes matches made their way to their first tee, each player battling some level of nerves.It was wild. It was raucous. It was eerily silent, then wild and raucous again. As we witnessed once again, there isnt another scene like it in golf. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '