Roger Clemens didn't have his best stuff in Game 5 and was yanked in the fifth inning.

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NEW YORK -- In the end, experience was the key.

Or maybe it was the great defensive plays by Derek Jeter.

Or maybe the fine pitching performances.

But it just couldn't have been the way Roger Clemens was wearing his britches. Clemens pulled his pants legs high, revealing all his socks, in a tribute to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who, Clemens said, gave him another chance to pitch after taking the loss in Game 1.

"I would have worn Andy (Pettitte's) and Mike (Mussina's) jersey if I could,'' Clemens said. "I told them thanks for the opportunity."

Avoiding panic after losing the first two home games of the series, Clemens and the Yankees came back to beat the Oakland A's, 5-3, Monday night to win the AL Divisional Series three games to two.

The Yankees became the first team in Major League history to lose the first two games of a best-of-five series at home and then win the series.

"The only thing I was telling my club on the off day in Oakland was the fact that one game turns the whole momentum around," Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. "Because I know how I felt when I was up three games to one or two games to zero or three games to zero. There's a lot of pressure because you have momentum on your side and you don't want to lose it.

"That's what I preached to them, think small. They thought small and played big."

New York will now face Seattle in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series, starting Wednesday at Seattle. It will be a rematch of last year's ALCS, which the Yankees won before going on the beat the Mets in the World Series.

The Yankees scored four runs in the first four innings, two courtesy of Oakland errors. The New York bullpen then polished off the victory before 56,642 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera pitched the last two innings for his second save.

David Justice hit a pinch-hit home run and New York starter Roger Clemens gave a valiant effort after suffering a hamstring injury in Game 1. Clemens pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, one walk and one hit batsman, while striking out five. He threw 90 pitches, 53 for strikes.

"Roger was courageous," Torre said. "He was unbelievable. You know he was just going to pitch the five innings. We knew that after four, and then when we got to Giambi, I could not ask Andy (Pettitte) to come in there in a situation like that, so we just sort of accelerated one inning and brought in Mike (Stanton)."

Clemens said the crowd really got him going.

"Our crowd was unbelievable," Clemens said. "That's something that reminds you as a player why you're so fortunate to be in a venue like this. It was incredible, every time I got two strikes, the emotions they gave me.

"Especially, you know, again our fans, the city, everything that the city has gone through, and our fans have gone through, just to give them the opportunity to have something to cheer about was just a joy. But I can't thank them enough. They were so loud, it was incredible. Again, it just reminds you, and I knew they would be ready tonight, too, like our guys."

Both teams were a little nervous in the dugouts but the A's jumped out to an early lead. In the first inning, Johnny Damon doubled down the first-base line. One out later, Jason Giambi singled to right to score Damon. In the top of the second, Terrence Long led off with a double to right center. One out later, Jeremy Giambi singled to right to make it 2-0.

The Yankees tied it in the second. Jorge Posada singled to left. Shane Spencer singled to center and Scott Brosius was hit on the foot by a pitch to load the bases. Alfonso Soriano drilled a single to left to score Posada and Spencer and make it 2-2.

"I've been asked several times about how (Soriano) handles the pressure," Torre said. "He just thinks it's a regular baseball game."

New York went ahead for good in the third. With one out, Bernie Williams struck out but reached first when catcher Greg Myers, subbing for injured starter Ramon Hernandez, threw the ball past first into right field. Tino Martinez was hit by a pitch. Posada flied out to center and Williams hesitated at second but saw the throw go toward second and tagged and went to third. Spencer walked. Brosius hit a slow roller to third but Chavez failed to field the ball as Martinez crossed in front of him. It was ruled an error as Williams scored and made it 3-2.

In the fourth, Chuck Knoblauch singled to center. With Velarde batting, Knoblauch was caught between first and second preparing to steal but he was safe at second on Jason Giambi's errant throw. Velarde sacrificed Knoblauch to third and Knoblauch scored on Jeter's sacrifice fly. That made it 4-2.

The A's got a run back in the fifth. Frank Menechino walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Miguel Tejada was hit by a pitch. Clemens was relieved by Mike Stanton and Jason Giambi singled to right to drive in Menechino and make it 4-3.

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Game 2 starter Tim Hudson replaced Oakland starter Mike Mulder with one out in the fifth inning. Mulder allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits, two walks and two hit batsmen, while striking out two. He threw 86 pitches, 55 for strikes.

In the sixth, Justice, pinch-hitting for DH Randy Velarde, ripped a home run to right field to make it 5-3. It was the 14th career postseason home run for Justice. Jeter then doubled to right. It was Jeter's 87th postseason hit, moving him past Pete Rose for the major-league record.

In the eighth inning, Jeter made a spectacular catch on a popup by Terrence Long that carried into the stands and took Jeter with it. The effort followed Jeter's incredible play in Oakland in which he ran across the field to grab a relay throw, caught the ball barehanded and made a back-handed flip to Posada to get an out at the plate.

"You know, Derek, from 1996 when I first met the young man, has that look in his eye," Torre said. "It's a look that you don't teach. It's a look that you have, that fire in your belly, and that love for the competition.

"This kid with that play he made the other night, thinks cool in very hot situations. And making that play, he never has any regard for putting his body in peril or being embarrassed with a bad swing. ... We have a number of them, but he's a true leader at a very early age for me."

Oakland Manager Art Howe said he was disappointed in his team's play.

"You come this far, you want to play a good, solid game," Howe said. "You know, if you lose playing well, you tip your hat. Tonight we contributed quite a bit to our demise. That's too bad.

"It was our defense. It didn't have anything to do with the stage or whatever. We just didn't play well defensively tonight. It happens. We just picked a bad time to do it."

Paul C. Smith is a regional writer for MLB.com.