Jeter lifts Yankees past Mets for 3-1 lead

NEW YORK (AP) - Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees wasted no time sending a message: first pitch, first inning, home run.

Jeter led off with a drive over the left-field fence and the Yankees led the rest of the way, beating the New York Mets 3-2 last night in Game 4 to move within one victory of their third straight World Series championship.

Derailed a day earlier, the Yankees got right back on track in taking a 3-1 lead in this Subway Series. Jeter homered and tripled, and Mariano Rivera finished off 4 1-3 scoreless innings by the Yankees bullpen.

A sellout crowd of 55,290 at Shea Stadium seemed much more subdued than Game 3, possibly because of a much larger presence of Yankees fans.

The ballpark figures to be a lot louder - either way - on Thursday night when the Yankees try to become the first team since the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics to win three titles in a row.

Andy Pettitte will start Game 5 against the Mets' Al Leiter. Of the prior 40 teams to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series, 34 have gone on to win the championship.

Mike Piazza's two-run homer pulled the Mets within 3-2 in the third inning, and there was no more scoring as both managers made early moves to the bullpen.

Yankees starter Denny Neagle was pulled after 4 2-3 innings, with David Cone coming in to retire Piazza on a popup to end the fifth.

Reliever Jeff Nelson pitched 1 1-3 innings and was credited with the win, Mike Stanton struck out the only two batters he faced and Rivera pitched two innings for his first save of the series, with

Yankees fans erupting when he struck out Matt Franco to end the game.

Losing pitcher Bobby J. Jones was lifted after five innings. Relievers Glendon Rusch, John Franco and Armando Benitez kept the Yankees from breaking away.

The Yankees scored single runs in each of the first three innings. They did it without a contribution from cleanup man Bernie Williams, who was hitless in four at-bats and dropped to 0-for-15 in the Series.

New York made it 3-0 in the third. Jeter led off with a triple, giving him eight hits in this Series, and trotted home as Luis Sojo grounded out.

Mets fans did not seem daunted, probably figuring their team would have a chance to get back into the game against Neagle.

They were right.