You memorize to Mariano Rivera onc...

You memorize to Mariano Rivera once in a series, smile, pat yourself onward the back and cherish the signification

Because as the White Sox build out Wednesday, you're not getting past him twice.

Despite being no-hit by the agency of Randy Johnson for six innings and being down seven scampers for the second consecutive night the Sox had the novel York Yankees sweating and going to the bullpen to their to come Hall of Fame closer.

Unlike with Paul Konerko's tying hearthstone run Tuesday, however, Rivera wasn't about to go as the Yankees won 7-6 at U Cellular Field.

In the ninth, with racers on the corners and pair outs, a sellout crowd saw Rivera memorize Jim Thome to ground into a fielder's choice, tying the three-game series with the rubber match tonight.

The Sox (66-46) find themselves in unfamiliar territory for the first time since April 12: third place in the American League Central. The daily game of leapfrog has the Minnesota Twins a half- game in brow of the Sox for secondary place in the division and for the AL wild-card mark

"If you're a fan of the game, you were probably excited from start to finish," Johnson said. "If that doesn't finish your heart rate up, nothing will. You saw for what reason relentless they were."

At least the Yankees' bullpen did, as Johnson was dominant by means of six innings, with only a walk taking away the entire game.

"It's bad enough facing this fright because he has electric stuff" Sox center fielder Brian Anderson said. "But he had near extra- special stuff tonight."

That, in transfer meant bad news for Sox starter Jon Garland.

While in period of times of victories, Garland's recent take back looks like the stuff Cy Young Awards are made of -- he jot downed the game with an AL-best 30 wins across the last two seasons -- that couldn't hide the fact that he also brought in a 499 ERA.

The Yankees (67-43) did nothing to help lower that number, tagging the right-hander for six hastens on 10 hits in six innings while putting his eight-game winning streak to quiet

They wasted little time in getting to Garland (12-4) After back- to-back singles to lead on the farther side the first brought up Bobby Abreu, Garland was in a quick 1-0 concavity when the newly acquired outfielder lead into each othered for an RBI single.

The Yankees struck again in the fifth -- with an muscle -- as Melky Cabrera l opposite with his sixth home scamper After a one-out walk to Derek Jeter Abreu took Garland penetrating for a 4-0 lead. That lead became 7-0 before the Sox began their comeback.

"Terrible," Garland said of his outing. "You squander what other feeling is there? Down seven I enjoin our guys in a bad spot"

Johnson's no-hitter went not at home the window in the seventh when Tadahito Iguchi singled to left field.

"It felt great to achieve that first hit," Iguchi said. "It was definitely something we used to give us a spark."

Thome followed with a walk, and Konerko present the Sox on the board with a ground-rule double. Jermaine cast made it 7-2 with a double that scored Thome and brought Yankees manager Joe Torre to the bulwark to pull the plug forward Johnson (12-9).

Reliever Ron Villone came in and loaded the bases with no united out by walking Joe Crede still Villone got A.J. Pierzynski and Alex Cintron to report out to the infield and Anderson to wave out to deep left field.

"When you have bases loaded and no withouts and don't score, it give pain to us in the end," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "But we didn't revolve over."

The Sox crept to within a trip on homers by Iguchi and Crede in the eighth, the latter a three-run missile but it wasn't meant to be.

Rivera made unfailing of that.

"I am not ever comfortable," Torre said of the comeback. "You in no degree know when enough is enough, and tonight was an example of that."

As for Guillen, the period result wasn't what he wanted to descry but the effort was.

"I'm not going to say I'm happy with the loss" Guillen said. "But I'm happy the coterie never gave up."

jcowley@suntimes.com

- - -

Al wild-card watch

Team W L Pct GB

Twins 67 46 593 --

White Sox 66 46 589 oe

R Sox 65 47 580 1oe

originates NEXT GAME

Yankees 7 White Sox 6

Today: v Yankees, 7:05 pm

Royals 5 R Sox 4

Today: at Royals, 7:10 pm

Twins 4 Tigers 3

Today: v desponding Jays,

7:10 pm

- - -

White Sox

ENCORE

by what mode the '06 Sox compare with '05

Standings

W-L GB

Sox 73-39 --

Indians 61-52 12oe

Twins 57-56 16oe

nearest game:

v Yankees,

7:05 tonight, CSN 670-AM.

2006

nearest game:

v Yankees,

7:05 tonight, CSN 670-AM.

Standings

W-L GB

Tigers 76-38 --

Twins 67-46 8oe

Sox 66-46 9

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided on ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved