Alex Rodriguez watches his homer leading off the sixth clang off the left-field foul pole. (AP)

Seattle tries to go home with a 2-0 lead Wednesday night when John Halama pitches against Orlando Hernandez.

"We have to attack them, attack them early and be ready to go to war," said Rodriguez, who hit a massive solo homer. "They're going to come out real hungry and be ready to go to war tomorrow."

Garcia, one of the young pitchers obtained two years ago from Houston in the Randy Johnson trade, allowed just three hits, struck out eight and handled the two-time World Series champions like an old pro.

"If they pitch like they pitched tonight, then we're not going to win the series," Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson said.

The 24-year-old right-hander stranded runners at third base in the third and fifth innings and escaped a two-on, no-outs jam in the sixth.

With the crowd on its feet, Mariners manager Lou Piniella went to the mound.

"I was feeling pretty good. I had a lot of confidence," Garcia remembered telling his manager.

Piniella stuck with Garcia, who struck out Paul O'Neill and Bernie Williams, then retired David Justice on a flyout Mike Cameron caught one step in front of the center-field fence.

"He got three pretty tough hitters there," Piniella said. "He should be proud of his effort tonight."

Jose Paniagua, Arthur Rhodes and Kazuhiro Sasaki combined for three-hit relief, with Sasaki getting three outs for his third save of the playoffs.

With the crowd again on its feet, Williams singled leading off the ninth as Sasaki repeatedly stepped off. Justice struck out, and Tino Martinez singled up the middle to bring up Jorge Posada, who homered off Sasaki twice in three at-bats in the regular season.

But Sasaki got Posada to fly out to right and Luis Sojo, after a long foul down the right-field line, flied to center for the final out. Sasaki bowed to teammate Jay Buhner.

Seattle pitchers struck out 13, including Derek Jeter three times, and Torre even pinch hit Glenallen Hill in the eighth for O'Neill, just 4-for-22 in the playoffs, including three infield hits.

"Paul's been struggling a little bit. I felt it was a chance to pop one," Torre said. "It's not something I like doing and may not do again. He understands the situation."

Even Piniella was surprised.

"Joe caught us totally off guard with that move," Piniella said.

The Mariners bullpen has pitched 14 scoreless innings in the postseason.

"They've been there for us all year," Piniella said. "I'm fortunate in that I've got some good power arms out there and they're all resilient. It's one of the reasons we're here."

New York, which hit just .244 and scored only 19 runs in its 3-2 win over Oakland in the division series, was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Sojo and Chuck Knoblauch had two hits each, but New York had lost two straight postseason games at Yankees Stadium after winning 10 in a row at home.

After taking a 6-0 lead over the Athletics in the first inning of Game 5, the Yankees have scored one run in their last 17 innings, looking like the tired, old team that lost 15 of its last 18 games during the regular season.

While the Yankees are struggling, the Mariners are hot, spurting with a mixture of youth and experience as they try to get to the World Series for the first time.

Despite trading Ken Griffey Jr. before spring training, they qualified for the playoffs as the wild card, then swept Chicago, the team with the AL's best record, 3-0 in the first round.

Seattle had just five hits off Denny Neagle, Nelson, Randy Choate and Jason Grimsley, but three of those hits led to runs.

Neagle, bypassed in the first round after ending his regular season with three straight supbar starts, pitched for the first time since Sept. 27, and was wild but pretty effective.

He started six of 32 batters with 3-0 counts but walked just three and gave up three hits.

"He pitched well enough to win," Torre said.

Neagle kept the game scoreless until the fifth, when Mark McLemore doubled with two outs and Henderson, cast off by the crosstown Mets this spring, slapped a single in the hole between first and second and through into right.

Oakland showed during the first round that O'Neill's arm isn't what it was. O'Neill stutter-stepped as he picked up the ball, and McLemore scored easily ahead of O'Neill's bouncing throw.

Rodriguez then led off the sixth with a smash that hit high off the screen attached to the left-field foul pole, a massive drive that would have landed in the upper deck if unimpeded.

Notes

• Pregame introductions were canceled because it was 48 degrees and Yankees owner George Steinbrenner didn't want his players standing out in the cold.
• The teams combined for 22 strikeouts, an ALCS record.
• Jeter ranged from shortstop to make a great over-the-head, inning-ending catch on David Bell's looper to left in the second.
• O'Neill was hit in the right shoulder by a foul ball hit by Jeter while standing behind the plate waiting to bat in the fourth.
• Rhodes struck out Hill in the eighth.
• Rodriguez's homer was his second in postseason play.