A-Rod's walkoff 3-run blast lifts Yanks

Alex Rodriguez did it again. Rodriguez hit a three-run, two-out homer that capped a comeback from a four-run deficit in the ninth inning, giving the New York Yankees an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

A-Rod connected on a belt-high pitch from Joe Borowski (0-1) and sent the ball soaring to center. Rodriguez knew immediately it was gone, flipping his bat toward the Yankees' dugout and raising both hands in triumph.

He slapped the hands of coach Larry Bowa after rounding third, then slammed his helmet to the ground.

By homering for the third straight game, Rodriguez increased his major league-leading totals to 10 homers and 25 RBIs.

Sean Henn (1-0) pitched one inning for the victory, which put the Yankees (8-6) two games over .500 for the first time this season heading into their weekend series at Boston.

With the Yankees trailing 6-2, Borowski relieved to start the ninth and got his first two outs. Three times, he came within one strike of sealing a win, but couldn't get the job done.

Josh Phelps started the comeback with his first homer since May 27, 2005, for Tampa Bay against Seattle.

Jorge Posada singled on a 2-2 pitch, Johnny Damon walked with a full count, and Derek Jeter slapped an RBI single to left. Bobby Abreu, down 1-2 in the count, poked an opposite-field run-scoring single to left for his fourth hit.

That brought up A-Rod, who hit a game-ending grand slam against Baltimore with two outs in the ninth for a 10-7 victory on April 7. Borowski started him with a wild pitch in the dirt, and Rodriguez deposited his next offering into the bullpen, extending his hitting streak to 19 games dating to last season.

Victor Martinez hit a three-run homer, and David Dellucci homered and drove in two runs for the Indians, who were swept in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium for the first time since July 2002. Travis Hafner had three hits and went 8-for-12 in the series.