NEW YORK (MCT) — For a team that seemed to own the patent on walk-off wins, this was the toughest to get — and the sweetest one yet.

In a steady rain, and after Alex Rodriguez had tied the game with a solo homer off Angels closer Brian Fuentes in the 11th, a throwing error sent the Yankees to a 4-3 victory in 13 innings at Yankee Stadium late Saturday night.

Attempting to get a force play, second baseman Maicer Izturis’ errant toss on the slick infield allowed Jerry Hairston Jr. to scamper home with the winning run as the Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series late Saturday night.

Hairston Jr. started the inning with a pinch-hit single off Ervin Santana, and was sacrificed to second base by Brett Gardner. After an intentional walk to Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera hit the grounder that Izturis fielded and threw wide of second base.

Another wild celebration erupted at home plate, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Alex Rodriguez’s latest, late-game contribution.

Leading off the 11th inning, with the Yanks down 3-2, A-Rod belted a leadoff home run against Angels closer Brian Fuentes on an 0-2 pitch, as the long-awaited rain started to fall steadily at the Stadium.

“Complete pandemonium,” Nick Swisher said of the reaction in the Yankee dugout.

“I just kept yelling, ‘He did it again,’” Mark Teixeira said.

A-Rod’s two-run, ninth-inning homer off closer Joe Nathan had tied Game 2 of the division series against the Twins last week, leading to the Yanks’ three-game sweep.

On Saturday, A-Rod’s shot dropped into the first row in right field.

“You’re definitely not thinking home run, and you’re certainly not thinking home run after you’re down 0-2,” said A-Rod, who caught a high fastball that wasn’t as far up and away as Fuentes intended. “You are just trying to get on base. I finally got a pitch I could handle and hit it well.”

A-Rod came up with the bases loaded in the 12th, with a chance to win it, but flied out against Santana. But Rodriguez had already won the hearts of 49,922 fans – many of whom were standing – during the extra innings.

“So far, so good. I’ve been feeling comfortable,” A-Rod said. “I just feel like it’s just a continuation of the season.”

But during a five-hour, 10 minute games, the Yanks needed more than their superstars to bring them half way to their first World Series appearance since 2003.

With 1 1/3 innings, rookie reliever David Robertson, the next-to-last reliever in Joe Girardi’s stable, entered in the 12th and picked up the win.

Izturis’ error was the Angels’ fifth in these first two ALCS games, and manager Mike Scioscia said there was no chance to get a double play.

“He just reacted thinking that he had his mind going to second base. But obviously in that situation, the force isn’t really an advantage,” Scioscia said. “You just want to get an out there. Izzy just tried to do too much.”

With Hairston Jr.’s entrance, Yanks manager Joe Girardi set an ALCS record by using 21 players.

“I knew I’d be the last guy,” said Hairston Jr., a veteran utility man playing in his first career postseason. “I just wanted to stay ready.”

While Hairston Jr. awaited his moment, the Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 early lead.

With two out in the second inning, Swisher walked and scored as Robinson Cano stayed back on an 0-2 slider and tripled to the right-center field gap.

There was one out in the third when Derek Jeter drove a 2-0 pitch the opposite way, through a bitter crosswind, to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. It was Jeter’s second homer this postseason, and his 19th postseason home run – passing Mickey Mantle (who only played in World Series) and Reggie Jackson for sole possession of third place on the all-time list.

Only Manny Ramirez (29) and Bernie Williams (22) have more postseason home runs.

But in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, starter Joe Saunders used double play grounders to get out of jams. None was bigger than in the fifth, as Melky Cabrera and Jose Molina started the inning with singles.

But Jeter hit a comebacker to Saunders, who started the DP – with the relay barely beating Jeter at first.

Still, the Yanks caught breaks in the late innings.

In the cool conditions, Cano bobbled Erick Aybar’s easy seventh-inning grounder for an error – the last batter faced by Burnett, who exited to an ovation and tipped his cap.

The Angels would load the bases without a ball leaving the infield, but Joba Chamberlain – after a rare visit to the mound by manager Joe Girardi – struck out Vladimir Guerrero on a sharp breaking pitch, ending the inning with an emphatic, whirling fist pump.

Burnett lasted 6 1/3 innings, yielding two runs on three hits, two walks, four strikeouts, two hit batsmen and that key wild pitch.

With Hughes on in the eighth, Jeter booted a sure double play grounder for an error, requiring Rivera to retire Aybar on a groundball to end the inning.