O'NEILL SLAMS DOOR; YANKEES MAKE MOST OF FOUR HITS, LEAD SERIES 2-1 : NEW YORK 6, CLEVELAND 1.

Byline: Jack Curry The New York Times

Paul O'Neill shouted, ``Get out, get out,'' and flailed his arms forward to try to nudge the ball over the center-field fence as he jogged toward first base. O'Neill stayed focused on the ball that was about to become a grand slam, but it did not need extra guidance. It left Jacobs Field and now the Yankees are one triumph away from leaving here with their invitation to the American League Championship Series.

O'Neill's grand slam came off reliever Chad Ogea and made Charles Nagy feel queasy for walking the bases loaded in the fourth inning and leaving the mess for someone else to try to tidy up. Ogea could not find a broom of sorts because he could not find the proper pitch to throttle O'Neill as the Yankees scampered to a 6-1 victory over the Indians in Game 3 of the AL division series at Jacobs Field.

Because David Wells maintained the cushion that O'Neill provided, the Yankees took a 2-1 edge in the best-three-of-five series and they now hope that Dwight Gooden can outduel Orel Hershisher in Game 4 tonight and secure the series. Even before his grand slam, O'Neill figured the defending champion Yankees would enjoy a sweet weekend in Cleveland.

``I think everybody packed for a week thinking that we're going to win here and then go onto Baltimore,'' O'Neill said before the game. ``If you come here thinking you're going to lose, why even get in the playoffs? You get into the playoffs so you can get to the World Series and win the World Series.''

O'Neill was confident before facing Nagy, who has performed like one of New York's batting-practice pitchers this season, and his confidence was obviously well-founded since he also drove in a run with a single in the first to give him five RBI for the game. It was the most by a Yankee in the postseason since Thurman Munson delivered five in Game 5 of the 1978 World Series.

Nagy allowed two hits in 3-2/3 innings, but four of the six Yankees he walked scored on a depressing but hardly surprising night for the right-hander. He was 0-2 and gave up 18 earned runs in nine innings to the Yankees in three starts this year, so Saturday night fit his profile. Now the Yankees, who had only four hits Saturday night, are gazing ahead to the ALCS.

``Game 3 is a very important game when you have the suicide series with five games, instead of seven,'' manager Joe Torre said.

That is where the Yankees are. Unlike Nagy, Wells was sharp while limiting the Indians to one run and five hits in pitching a complete game. While he had only one strikeout, he allowed no walks.

Wells spent the day shopping at a local mall with his 5-year-old son and spent the night stopping Cleveland at a local ballpark to improve to 4-0 in the postseason.

``I want the ball when it counts,'' Wells said.

Wells should also want the ball on a night when O'Neill ripped New York's eighth grand slam in postseason history to cap an aggravating inning that will probably haunt the Indians. After run-scoring singles from O'Neill in the first and Tino Martinez in the third, the Yankees led 2-1 in the fourth. Joe Girardi, who had walked, was on second with two outs as Nagy fell behind 2-0 on Tim Raines. Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove instructed Nagy to intentionally walk Raines.

It was a curious decision. Raines was 14 for 32 lifetime against Nagy, but why did Hargrove want to put another runner on with a pitcher who had already been so erratic it took him 38 pitches to navigate through the first? Nagy jumped ahead of Derek Jeter (3 for 12 off Nagy) with a 1-2 count but threw three straight balls to walk him, fill the bases and begin to spoil the strategy.

Hargrove summoned Ogea, a right-hander who had retired O'Neill all five times he had opposed him in his career. Ogea mimicked Nagy by working the count to 3-2 before tossing a pitch that was chest high and down the middle. O'Neill slashed the ball and watched it sail toward center. ``I don't think anyone in here has lost any confidence that we can't win this series,'' O'Neill said. ``I think both teams still think they can win. We still think we can win.''

Following in the footsteps of David Cone from Game 1 and Jaret Wright from Game 2, Nagy danced on hot coals during the first tonight and created his own misery. He walked leadoff-batter Raines on a 3-2 pitch and then leaped to corral Jeter's chopper before making a sidearm throw to second that whizzed past Omar Vizquel into center for an error. It put runners on first and third and put Nagy in instant danger.

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Photo

PHOTO The Yankees' Tim Raines rounds second base and heads for third in the first inning. He later scored on Paul O'Neill's single.

Phil Masturzo / Akron Beacon Journal