With two outs in the eighth and a man on second, Eric Gagne came on to face Alex Rodriguez, the potential tying run. After working the count to 2-2, the NL Cy Young winner challenged A- Rod with a fastball down the middle, and the AL MVP swung through it.

"It was a fun at-bat. He just beat me fair and square,’ Rodriguez said. "That’s what makes him so good. He has a lot in his repertoire to get you out with and he throws strikes. It was a fun challenge.’

Gagne then finished for his major league-record 81st straight save, preserving the Dodgers’ 5-4 win over New York on Sunday.

"Gagne’s fun to watch if you’re not sitting in our dugout,’ Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Gagne gave up a homer to Jason Giambi leading off the ninth before getting his second save of the series between teams that have met 11 times in the World Series, but not since 1981.

"With all the hype and all the buildup, it played itself out to a T,’ Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "It was a terrific series. It was great for our young players to get a taste of what it’s like three months down the road.’

The Yankees lost their first series since dropping two of three at Texas on May 21-23.

"Other than that, it was a good series,’ Derek Jeter said. "It was fun to come here. I enjoyed it.’

Shawn Green triggered a four-run second inning with a homer and Jose Lima shrugged off consecutive home runs to Hideki Matsui and Miguel Cairo for the Dodgers.

"It feels good when you beat the Yankees because of the tradition between these two ballclubs,’ Lima said. "We got the best bullpen in baseball so I don’t panic.’

The matchup of division leaders set a franchise weekend attendance record of 165,240. Sunday’s game drew 55,157, third-most in Dodger Stadium history. Friday night’s game attracted the largest crowd of 55,207.

"You couldn’t even hear yourself out there,’ Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca said. "I thought Friday was loud, but tonight was louder. It was awesome.’

After Gagne gave up a homer to Giambi, the fourth the closer has allowed this season, he retired Gary Sheffield on a groundout, Jorge Posada on a flyout to left and struck out Matsui looking to end it for his 18th save of the season.

"The intensity was great,’ Torre said. "I still look at these games as exhibition games. I know they count in the standings, but I think the players appreciated the energy that came out of this weekend. We’re just sorry about losing two out of three.’

The Yankees cut their deficit to 4-3 in the seventh on Matsui’s two-out RBI triple off reliever Tom Martin. Giambi led off with a single off Lima (5-3), took second on Sheffield’s single and moved to third when Posada hit into a double play.

Dave Roberts doubled and sped all the way home when Matsui misplayed the ball in left field for a two-base error, giving the Dodgers a 5-3 lead in the bottom half. The ball bounced past Matsui on the rubber warning track and he chased it down near the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Green led off the second with his ninth homer on a 3-1 count from Jose Contreras (4-3). A sacrifice fly by Juan Encarnacion drove in Lo Duca, who doubled and took third on a single by Adrian Beltre. A two-out single by Roberts scored Beltre and Alex Cora, who singled, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

DODGERS NOTES: Dodgers owner Frank McCourt estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 people showed up at the ballpark early Sunday for a Father’s Day promotion in which fans were invited to play catch with their dads on the outfield grass. Among them were celebrities Jimmy Kimmell and Alyssa Milano, and Dodgers legends Steve Garvey and Ron Cey also participated. The event was McCourt’s brainchild. McCourt, who also participated with three of his four sons, said he hopes to stage it every year. "The reaction was overwhelming,’ McCourt said. "The fans loved it. I knew they would be respectful of the field, and they were. Somebody had dropped a wrapper on the field, and a little kid, maybe 6 or 7 years old, he went over and picked it up, even though it wasn’t his. The fans were so appreciative of the opportunity to walk out on (the field) and just to be a part of it.’