Mussina opens 6-0 as Yanks edge Seattle

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Jorge Posada and Alfonso Soriano hit solo homers to back the six-hit pitching of Mike Mussina, as the New York Yankees posted a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the finale of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Mussina became the first six-game winner in the majors and the first Yankee to win his first six starts since Bob Turley won seven in a row to open the 1958 campaign. The Yankees won their second straight game after losing two in a row and improved to 22-6 for the season.

Dan Wilson knocked in the lone run for Seattle and Ichiro Suzuki had two hits. The Mariners have lost two straight for the first time since dropping three in a row from April 9-11.

Mussina (6-0) scattered six singles and one run, did not walk a batter and struck out nine in eight innings. He increased his American League-leading strikeout total to 51 and lowered his earned run average to 1.60.

Mariano Rivera worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

Joel Pineiro (2-2) was also strong for Seattle, allowing just two runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in seven innings. However, two of the hits went for homers and they proved to be the difference.

Soriano snapped a 1-1 tie with a leadoff homer in the sixth, drilling a pitch over the wall down the left field line for his 10th home run of the season.

The Yankees put their first two batters on in the seventh, but Pineiro retired Robin Ventura on a fly ball to left and got Raul Mondesi on a double-play grounder to end the inning.

Suzuki singled with two outs in the eighth for Seattle, but was gunned down by Posada trying to steal second.

Rivera, pitching for the second time since being activated off the disabled list, then set down the middle of the Seattle order in the ninth.

Mussina struck out the side in the first and set down the first nine Mariners before Suzuki singled to lead off the fourth. The next three batters went down in order, but Seattle put together a two-out rally for the first run in the fifth.

After John Olerud grounded out and Mike Cameron struck out looking, Mark McLemore singled to center and Jeff Cirillo singled to left. Wilson then bounced a base hit through the middle to score McLemore for a 1-0 lead, but Suzuki grounded to second to end the inning.

The Yankees, who had a runner in each of the first four innings, needed one swing of the bat to tie the game, as Posada drilled a 1-1 pitch over the left- center field wall for his eighth homer of the season.

05/02 02:19:52 ET