New York ? In one stunning inning, the New York Yankees appeared to exorcise three months of frustration.

The Yankees broke loose for 13 runs in the eighth behind Bernie Williams and Gary Sheffield, overcoming an early eight-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 20-11, Tuesday night.

“If there’s a turning point in the season, this should be it,” said Williams, who didn’t take batting practice because of his sore shoulders. “This is incredible, especially this late in the game. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

And with good reason: The 17-run turnaround matched the largest victory after trailing by eight runs in major-league history. The Devil Rays led the Cleveland Indians, 10-2, before losing, 20-11, on May 5, 1999.

Williams put the Yankees ahead with a bases-loaded triple in the eighth, and Sheffield had a pair of three-run homers. Derek Jeter tied a career high with five hits and scored five runs.

The game mirrored New York’s roller-coaster season – the Yankees have won seven of eight on this 13-game homestand after dropping nine of 12 on their last road trip.

Sheffield had seven RBIs, and Williams drove in five runs for New York, which trailed, 10-2, after four innings. Yankees starter Randy Johnson lasted just three innings in his shortest outing in nearly five years, allowing seven runs.

The New York Yankees celebrate their 20-11 victory over Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees rallied with 13 runs in the eighth inning to prevail Tuesday in New York.

“I had a sense in the dugout, let’s see who we are, let’s see what we are,” manager Joe Torre said.

Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui hit consecutive homers in the eighth, and Jorge Posada also connected for the Yankees in the inning, who had a 13-run second inning during a 19-8 victory over Tampa Bay on April 18.

“Just shocking,” Tampa Bay’s Jorge Cantu said.

Red Sox 9, Indians 2

Cleveland – David Ortiz homered twice and drove in four runs, and Bronson Arroyo (6-3) scattered four hits for Boston. Cleveland’s Kevin Millwood (2-5) allowed six runs and seven hits in his second start since coming off the disabled list.

Orioles 9, Blue Jays 5

Toronto – Geronimo Gil homered twice, and Eli Marrero homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore won for the sixth time in eight games. Rodrigo Lopez (7-2) won his fifth straight decision despite allowing four runs and four hits in five innings.

Tigers 7, Twins 2

Minneapolis – Jeremy Bonderman allowed five hits in his first complete game of the season as Detroit handed Minnesota its eighth loss in 11 games. Bonderman (9-4) walked two and struck out nine in winning his third straight start. Kyle Lohse (5-6) lost his third straight start.

Athletics 4, Mariners 2

Seattle – Dan Johnson hit his first major-league home run, and Rich Harden pitched five strong innings to lead Oakland. Harden (3-3), who had not pitched since straining his left oblique muscle May 13, allowed just two hits for his first win since April 21. He walked one and struck out three.

Angels 8, Rangers 6

Anaheim, Calif. – Dallas McPherson drove in three runs, Darin Erstad had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, and Los Angeles roughed up Chan Ho Park. Bartolo Colon (9-4) improved his career record against Texas to 14-5, allowing three runs in six innings to help the Angels open a 31â2-game lead over the Rangers in the AL West.