New York Yankees (5-0) at LA Angels of Anaheim (3-2), 4:13 p.m.

Sports Network | October 19, 2009

(Sports Network) - Andy Pettitte tries to become the winningest pitcher in postseason history this afternoon, when the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue the American League Championship Series with Game 3 at Angel Stadium.

New York holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set after a thrilling win on Saturday. Jerry Hairston Jr. scored on Maicer Izturis' throwing error in the bottom of the 13th, giving the Yankees a 4-3 win .

Saturday's matchup could have gone either way, as each team had a number of scoring opportunities in the late innings and left numerous runners on base. The Angels stranded 16 men, while the Yankees left 12 on the basepaths. But in a wet, cold marathon game that lasted over five hours, New York came out on top.

Ervin Santana (0-1), who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 12th, was on the mound for the Angels to begin the 13th. Hairston came up as a pinch-hitter and roped a single into left-center, then moved to second on Brett Gardner's sacrifice bunt.

Santana then intentionally walked Robinson Cano to get to Melky Cabrera, who hit a grounder to second. Izturis ranged to his left and had a chance to go for the routine out at first. However, he somewhat inexplicably chose to try for a force out at second, but sailed the throw well wide of the bag as Hairston raced home to score the game-winning run for a Yankees team that is well used to thrilling wins.

"I think [Izturis] was trying to make a little too much of that play," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "You're not going to turn two. If we get an out on any base we're in good shape. It's a way out of the inning."

New York recorded 15 walk-off victories during the regular season, and had another one in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Twins. In that contest, Alex Rodriguez hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning before Mark Teixeira's homer won it in the 11th.

Rodriguez provided a similar moment Saturday, as he smacked an opposite-field solo homer in the bottom of the 11th to even the contest at 3-3. Chone Figgins' RBI single in the top half had put the Angels in front.

Rodriguez, who is 7-for-19 with three home runs and eight RBI this postseason, is the third player in postseason history to hit a game-tying extra-inning homer, joining Houston's Billy Hatcher (1986 NLCS, Game 6) and Cleveland's Albert Belle (1995 ALDS, Game 1). And he's the fourth player with two or more game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later in one postseason, joining Boston's David Ortiz (2004) and Dave Henderson (1986), and the Dodgers' Kirk Gibson (1988).

David Robertson (2-0) got the win for throwing 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings and Derek Jeter also homered for the Yankees, who took the victory despite committing three errors. They took advantage of three Angels' miscues to win Game 1 of this ALCS on Friday. Los Angeles committed two more Saturday in tumbling to the loss.

"We're fortunate to come out on top in this game, because it was a great game. And there were some miscues," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Fortunately we were on the right side of it."

There was a question as to whether Saturday's contest would even be played, as rain was in the forecast and the game-time temperature was in the 40's. But with winds whipping, the teams got underway with A.J. Burnett on the mound for the Yankees and Joe Saunders going for the Angels.

Now the series shifts to sunny Anaheim, where the Yankees will have Pettitte on the hill after a tremendous ALDS start in which he tied John Smoltz for the major league record with his 15th postseason win.

"I feel fortunate to have been able to have played as long as I have and obviously, to be able to have played on as many great teams as I've been able to play on and have the opportunity to do that," Pettitte said of his record.

Pettitte held the Twins to a run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS.

The 37-year-old lefty, who was 14-8 during the year, lost to the Angels the last time he faced them and is 12-10 with a 4.70 ERA lifetime against them.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, will rely on the right arm of Jered Weaver, who was also magnificent in his ALDS start. Weaver started the second game of that series against the Boston Red Sox and allowed just one run and two hits in 7 1/3 innings.

That start followed up a terrific regular season for Weaver, who finished the year 16-8 with a 3.75 ERA.

You try to treat the game just like any other game," he said. "It would have been nice to get one of the two in New York. But you know, we are where we are. We're not going to quit. We're never a team that's going to give up, despite the numbers or what anybody else says. We're going to go out there and battle."

Weaver, who was 9-3 at home this season, is 4-2 with a 5.88 ERA in seven starts against the Yanks.

The Angels have beaten the Yankees in both of their postseason meetings. Los Angeles got the best of New York in 2002 on its way to a World Series championship, then beat the Yankees again in five games in the 2005 ALDS.

In fact, since 1995, the Angels have been the only AL team to give the Yankees a losing record (68-80, .459).

The Angels split their 10 games with the Yankees in the regular season, but New York won three of the last four meetings. New York, though, won only two of its six games in Anaheim this season and has won there in just three of its last 12 visits.