Postseason perfect: Lee does it again

NEW YORK Cliff Lee stumbled as he stepped up to his seat at the postgame podium.

“Booby trap right here, he said with a grin.

That was about his only slip-up all night.

The ace of October went through the New York Yankees like a buzz saw again, striking out 13 and pitching the Texas Rangers to an 8-0 victory Monday for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

Josh Hamilton hit an early 2-run homer off Andy Pettitte and started a 6-run outburst in the ninth with a leadoff double. Lee allowed only 2 singles in 8 innings and became the first pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts three times in one postseason.

“I’m not satisfied with that, he said. “We still have some work to do here. A lot of fun to come into New York and get this first one. Hopefully we can come out here tomorrow and pick up where we left off.

Mr. Automatic improved to 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in 8 postseason starts. Three of those wins have come against the power-packed Yankees, including two in last year’s World Series for Philadelphia.

New York won the other four games against the Phillies to take home its 27th championship, but now faces a tall task if it plans to repeat. The Yankees must win three straight against the resilient Rangers to advance without facing Lee in a decisive Game 7 at Texas.

Game 4 is tonight, and the Yankees will start struggling right-hander A.J. Burnett, who hasn’t pitched since Oct. 2. Tommy Hunter goes for Texas in his first career start at Yankee Stadium.

“I don’t think we’re in trouble, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We’re down 2-1, we’re not down 3-0. It’s frustrating we’ve lost two games in a row, but we’ve lost two games in a row a lot of times before and come back.

Pettitte, the old pro seeking his 20th postseason win, did his best to match Lee. But the longtime New York left-hander hung a first-inning cutter that Hamilton yanked over the short porch in right for his second homer of the series.

“It was just a bad pitch by me, Pettitte said. “At the time, you don’t think that’s going to win the ballgame.

Texas broke it open in the ninth against an ineffective David Robertson, getting RBI singles from Nelson Cruz and Bengie Molina, plus a 2-run single by Mitch Moreland.

Rangers closer Neftali Feliz flung his 100 mph fastball in the ninth and finished the 2-hitter in front of a nearly empty ballpark, adding 2 strikeouts to increase Texas’ total to 15 1 shy of a postseason record for Yankees batters.

New York’s 2 hits matched a postseason low also set in Game 4 of the 1958 World Series and Game 3 of the 2001 division series.

Lee nearly landed with the Yankees before Seattle traded him to Texas on July 9. Maybe they should have offered a few of their many all-stars Lee doesn’t seem to need much help.

Michael Young had 3 hits for the Rangers, who are 4-0 on the road in these playoffs. Texas won all three games at Tampa Bay in the first round, including a pair of masterful performances by Lee.

“Yeah, they’re comparable. I felt good every time, Lee said.