Yanks' Cone Logs 20th Win

David Cone was trying to keep his composure. Then catcher Joe Girardi came up to him, and a wave of emotion followed.

"He

It took 10 years for Cone to finally become a 20-game winner again.

Cone, who has spent much of the past two seasons coming back from two shoulder operations, pitched seven shutout innings to lead the New York Yankees over Tampa Bay 3-1 Saturday.

"There were a lot of appreciative gestures coming my way. That's the reason I reacted the way I did," said Cone, close to tears as his face flushed. "Everybody was kind of silent and then, all of a sudden after we got the last out, everybody kind of burst."

The right-hander, 20-3 for the New York Mets in 1988, set a major-league record for most years between 20-win seasons, surpassing the mark set by Jim Kaat, who went 25-13 for Minnesota in 1966 and 21-13 for the Chicago White Sox in 1974.

David Cone breathes a sigh of relief after being hit in the ribs by a ball hit by Tampa Bay's Rich Butler. (AP)

"It means a lot because of where he came from and what he's gone through the last couple of years," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "You keep reminding yourself that he wasn't supposed tbe available until late May, really more like June."

Cone, who had an aneurysm is his right shoulder repaired in May 1996 and unrelated arthroscopic surgery in the shoulder last Oct. 17, allowed just one walk and four hits in leading the Yankees to their sixth straight win.

Cone (20-7), scheduled to pitch Game 3 of the playoffs, struck out eight and walked one.

"He could probably get out of bed in January and pitch. He just knows how to do it," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said.

In combining with three relievers on a seven-hitter, Cone became the first Yankees right-hander to win 20 since Ed Figueroa went 20-9 in 1978.

New York (113-48) improved to 10-1 against Tampa Bay, beating the Devil Rays for the fifth consecutive time. With a win Sunday, the Yankees (.702) would be the first team to play .700 ball over an entire season since the 1954 Cleveland Indians (111-43).

Only the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116-36) won more games than this year's Yankees.

"Winning the game was more important for David Cone than it is for our record," Torre said.

Bernie Williams went 1-for-4 and leads Boston's Mo Vaughn .3360 to .3355 in the race for the AL batting title.

Rookie Shane Spencer hit his ninth homer, his seventh in September, to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third against Terrell Wade (1-1). Tino Martinez's 28th homer made it 2-0 in the fourth, and Derek Jeter doubled home another in the fifth.

Wade allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Cone retired the first seven batters before Miguel Cairo blooped a double down the right-field line in the third inning. Cone also allowed singles to Rich Butler and Cairo in the fifth, and a check-swing single to Paul Sorrento in the seventh.

Ramiro Mendoza pitched the eighth, and Mike Stanton got one out in the ninth. Mariano Rivera walked Mike Kelly, forcing in a run, before getting the final out.

Notes