NEW YORK -- One of these nights, the Yankees will start hitting again. Then again, maybe they don't need to.

Bronx Bombers is a misleading moniker for this Yankees bunch, a group that has largely scratched its way to three world championships the last four years.

The Yankees' Mariano Rivera threw a perfect eighth and ninth inning to close out Game 3.(AP)

As the Yankees know better than anyone, October is all about how well you pitch, play defense and keep your poise.

So there they were in Game 3 of the Division Series Friday night, scratching out a 4-2 victory by doing all three with the precise and unglamorous manner that has marked this run they are desperately trying to extend. They rode the guts of Orlando "Mr. October of pitching" Hernandez, an array of heady defensive plays and just enough offense to beat Tim Hudson, who has merely been the hottest pitcher in the game the last month.

These Athletics, who looked like they had enough swagger to shock the world after winning Game 1, are now on the brink, trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series and needing a victory against Roger Clemens Saturday night to force a Game 5 back in Oakland.

"We're lucky to be up 2-1," said Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill. "We haven't played that well."

But they've played smart and crisp, and sometimes that's what it takes.

For all the talk about how the A's weren't going to be hurt by their lack of experience and how the mystique of Yankee Stadium wouldn't get in their heads, they sure looked like a team that was a little overwhelmed by the elements.

Hudson -- eight innings, six hits, five strikeouts -- was once again terrific, as he has been for weeks. He deserved a better fate. But he also seemed a bit unnerved in what proved to be a fateful second inning.

With runners at the corners and one out, Glenallen Hill tapped a chopper back toward the box. Instead of taking the sure out at first, Hudson foolishly tried to cut down the run at the plate that ended up tying the game at 1-1. The Yankees, as they always seem to do, took advantage of the extra out and took the lead on Derek Jeter's RBI single.

"I made a bad choice," said Hudson.

But so did his young catcher Ramon Hernandez, who stood there like a statue instead of telling his pitcher to take the sure out.

Then Hernandez made an equally bad choice that led to another Yankee run in the fourth, pouncing on a Scott Brosius bunt and throwing the ball into center field instead of taking the obvious out at first.

Giving the Yankees extra chances in the playoffs is lethal, just ask the multiple teams they've buried over the last few years.

"We took advantage of the opportunities they gave us," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "There is something to be said about just making contact."

There's also something to be said about a team that couldn't get out of its own way just a week ago suddenly cranking up its game just in time.

Who said they can't flick on the switch?

This team, that was such a mess a few days ago, stands a victory away from an ALCS matchup with the Mariners.

It would seem the A's are in trouble now, because the Yankees smell blood. They are also sounding like the Yankees again.

"It's just a matter of believing in yourself and not willing to settle for anything but winning," said Torre. "Hopefully we are on our way to doing something special again."

If so, they won't vary from a method that hasn't failed them yet.

"When your strength is pitching, you need defense to complement it," said Torre.

So on a night El Duque -- now 6-0 in eight playoff starts -- was struggling to find the plate, his defense kept bailing him out. David Justice made a magnificent lunging catch in left-center. Luis Sojo dove to start a pretty 4-6-3 double play to end the eighth.

And the A's, who have survived in spite of their defense all year, must be air tight in Game 4 to send this series back to Oakland.

"We just didn't execute, didn't make plays we can make," A's manager Art Howe said. "I don't think it was because of the stage we were on.

"It's a challenge to beat the Yankees anywhere. But they knew they were in for a real tussle. We'll be ready to play tomorrow."

You wonder whether it is too late. Clearly, the champions have emerged from the ropes and now it's the A's who look -- if you'll pardon the pun -- defenseless.