"I didn't want to play anymore"

Um, if any of my Dear Readers happened to be the two guys sitting next to me tonight at The Stadium in the Bronx -- specifically, in Section 12, Box 36, Row C, Seats 2 and 1 -- you know, the ones who said as they were leaving at the end of the fourth, "These seats are great, but this game blows."

Fools.

In a frenzied night in the Bronx, Jorge Posada took one devastating hit and delivered another. The result matched the greatest comeback in Yankees history.

Knocked to the dirt in a collision with the Texas Rangers' Mark Teixeira in the sixth inning, Posada held onto the ball to save a run. Three innings later, with the Yankees down to their last out, Posada crunched a two-run game-ending homer, the final blow in a 14-13 Yankees victory.

"I was just hoping it was out of the park so we wouldn't have to keep playing," Posada said. "I didn't want to play anymore. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone."

Posada's homer, on a 3-1 fastball from closer Akinori Otsuka, sailed over the right-field fence and scored Johnny Damon, who had led off with a bad-hop single over Teixeira at first base. Posada hopped in the batter's box and thrust his fist in the air as he rounded first base.

The Yankees won despite trailing by 9-0 in the second inning, matching the biggest deficit they have overcome. They have done it three other times, most recently against the Boston Red Sox in 1987.

Posada, who was batting cleanup in the Yankees' injury-ravaged lineup, drove in five runs. He made up for the pitching of Shawn Chacon, who lasted an inning and a third, matching the shortest start of his career.

"I'll be the first to admit, I didn't think it would happen," said Chacon, who might have been bothered by a deep bruise on his shin. "But these guys surprise me."

Then Posada mentioned the way the rally started, on Damon's bad-hop single. "It was just meant to happen," he said.

The 30,000 or so left in The Stadium were chanting, "Hip, hip, Jorge" during the at-bat in which Posada crushed an arcing shot over the short right field wall. A truly amazing baseball game, and one I'm very lucky to have seen in person.

And, by the way guys who left after the fourth, sorry, but in addition to the wild game and the comeback that seemed somehow inevitable, you missed watching Bernie Williams hit a double that drove in a couple of runs during the sixth inning, six-run rally -- a double that tied him with Babe Ruth on the Yankees all-time doubles list.

Babe Ruth. Yankees. All-time.

We were sitting about 30 feet from home plate. I have never seen a collision at the plate at such close proximity before. Teixeira crushing into Posada was terrifying to witness. Think male elks, mating season.

UPDATE: Just for clarity, Bernie and The Babe are tied for third on the list.