Ogea Better Off Leaving the Defense to Gold Glover

Indian starter Chad Ogea gave up two hits, walked two and hit two batters in the first inning Sunday, but his biggest mistake may have been exerting too much effort on defense.

With Chuck Knoblauch on first and one out, Paul O’Neill chopped a grounder up the middle that was heading right for Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel. But Ogea reached up and nicked the ball with his glove, deflecting it through the vacant shortstop hole and into left field.

Bernie Williams walked to load the bases, Chili Davis grounded a two-run single to right, and Williams eventually scored on Tim Raines’ RBI groundout to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

“That ball went from an easy double play to a three-run lead, and that was the difference in the game,” Vizquel said. “The ball would have been right at my chest. I hardly would have had to move.”

*

Yankee starter David Wells took one look at Cleveland’s lineup Sunday and wondered if this was some kind of hoax. At the bottom of the order were three rookies, first baseman Richie Sexson, catcher Einar Diaz and second baseman Enrique Wilson, and missing were David Justice and Sandy Alomar.

“Yeah, I was surprised,” Wells said. “It was like one of those ‘thank-you’ things.”

Justice, hit by a pitch Saturday, had a bruised right forearm but was able to pinch-hit in the ninth, drawing a walk. Alomar sat out because of back spasms, and the Indians missed him as much on defense as they did on offense.

“He knows how to work the hitters,” Vizquel said of Alomar. “Einar has a lot of things in his head. They’re calling some pitches from the dugout, and that’s a tough spot for a rookie. I hope Sandy will take some drugs or something so he can play.”

*

Any doubts about Mariano Rivera’s ability to handle playoff pressure have been put to rest. The Yankee closer, who gave up a game-tying home run to Alomar in Game 4 of the 1997 division series, has not given up a hit in 4 2/3 ALCS innings, striking out four and walking one.

Rivera, who has given up one hit in eight scoreless playoff innings, relieved Wells in the bottom of the eighth with runners on first and second Sunday and got Mark Whiten to ground into an inning-ending double play.

“It was a tough situation for Mariano last year, but we’ve built up a lot of confidence in our closer, and that’s what you need this time of year,” Yankee first baseman Tino Martinez said. “He’s more experienced and under control. When he falls behind guys or walks someone, it doesn’t affect him.”

*

The Yankees have outscored the Indians by a combined score of 10-2 in the first inning of the five games. . . . Since the best-of-seven format was adopted for the league championship series in 1985, six teams have led, 3-2, entering Game 6. Of those teams, four went on to win the series, while two, Toronto in 1985 and the Angels in 1986, lost the sixth and seventh games. . . . Vizquel, who started a double play in the second Sunday with a bare-handed grab of Davis’ chopper, extended his ALCS errorless-game streak to 17, tying Mark Belanger’s record.