Andy Pettitte had struggled in his last few starts, most notably in his last appearance against the Kansas City Royals who knocked him around for 10 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Thursday, it looked like the Andy Pettitte of old was on the mound, as he worked through the Athletics with methodical precision. Pettitte surrendered only 1 run on 5 hits, and retired the last 12 batters he faced from the 5th through the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera remained perfect on the season, making his 18th save in 18 opportunities.

The Athletics scored a run in the second, but then struggled to produce any offense whatsoever, stranding any runners that were able to work something out of Pettitte. Hideki Matsui supplied all the offense for the Yankees, hitting a grand slam in the 6th inning off of A's starter Joe Blanton. Blanton allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and now holds a 1-7 record at home. It was Matsui's 34th birthday.