FORMER REFUGEE THROWS HIS TEAM A LIFELINE.(SPORTS)

Byline: STEVE CAMPBELL

CLEVELAND -- The New York Yankees were lurching, losing speed, looking for life preservers. The unsinkable champion ship was beginning to sink. The Yankees could either panic or put their safety in the hands of somebody experienced at navigating choppy waters.

If Yankees manager Joe Torre had any panic in him, Game 4 of the American League Championship Series would have been the time to succumb to it. Ace David Wells was lobbying for the chance to climb on the mound and steady the Yankees' course. Torre thanked Wells for the offer and handed the ball to a rookie instead.

Orlando ``El Duque'' Hernandez has spent barely four months in the major leagues. When Hernandez took the mound Saturday night before a crowd of 44,981 at Jacobs Field, he had not pitched in 15 days. The Yankees' playoff lives …