By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- The moment belonged to Derek Jeter. The long,
rainy night belonged to the Baltimore Orioles.

Jeter broke the New York Yankees' hit record held by Lou Gehrig
for more than seven decades, but Baltimore overcame an early
deficit for a 10-4 victory Friday night in a game delayed twice
by rain.

Jeter's third-inning single to right field gave him 2,722 hits,
one more than Gehrig, whose Hall of Fame career was cut short by
illness in 1939.

"It's still hard to believe for me," Jeter said. "It really hit
home when we got back here after our last road trip."

The captain added an RBI single in the fourth that put the
Yankees up 4-1 before the Orioles rallied against Andy Pettitte
and the New York bullpen.

Jeter's record-breaking hit was remarkably similar to the one
that tied Gehrig on Wednesday night, a sharp grounder inside the
first-base line. After this one, Yankees players poured out of
the dugout and engulfed Jeter at first base with hugs and pats
on the back.

"For those who say today's game can't produce legendary players,
I have two words: Derek Jeter. Game in and game out he just
produces," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a
statement.

Jeter said he spoke to Steinbrenner during the second rain
delay.

"It was great to hear from him. I think our relationship has
been well-documented throughout the years. We've been pretty
close since I came up," Jeter said. "We miss seeing him around
here as much as we used to, but it was great to hear his voice
and he had a lot of great things to say."

Jeter spread his arms wide after rounding first base and clapped
his hands emphatically as he headed back to the bag. Then, his
teammates came out to congratulate him.

"It was pretty spontaneous, but it was well-deserved," Alex
Rodriguez said. "Just capturing the moment. "That's a lot of
hits."

Rain-drenched fans, many wearing bright ponchos, roared during
an ovation that lasted about 3 minutes. Jeter twice waved his
helmet to the crowd of 46,771 - just as he did after tying the
record. Fans chanted his name and the ball was taken out of play
as a souvenir.

"It wasn't ideal conditions tonight and for the fans to stick
around, it really means a lot," Jeter said. "I felt like they're
just as much a part of this as I am."

When his opposite-field grounder got past diving first baseman
Luke Scott, Jeter's parents raised their arms in excitement.
Joining them in an upstairs box filled with family and friends
were his sister and steady girlfriend, actress Minka Kelly.

Jeter said his mother nearly didn't make it to the game because
she was in Tampa, Fla., earlier in the day and her flight was
delayed.

Baltimore spoiled some of the fun, though.

Leadoff batter Brian Roberts had three RBIs, including a two-run
single off Damaso Marte (1-2) that put the Orioles ahead during
a four-run sixth.

Cesar Izturis added two RBIs and Nick Markakis hit a two-run
single in the seventh just before play was stopped for 67
minutes.

When the game resumed, Jeter was pulled along with several other
Yankees starters. By the time it ended at 1:28 a.m., there were
only a few hundred hardy souls in the stands.

The start was delayed 87 minutes by rain that soaked the warning
track with large puddles. Jeter struck out in the first inning
against 21-year-old rookie Chris Tillman (2-3), but gave fans
the record-breaking moment they came to see his next time up.

"He's part Yankee history now," Orioles manager Dave Trembley
said. "He has always represented himself and that organization
with class, and he deserves it."

Rodriguez hit a three-run homer in the first inning for the
Yankees, a shot that sailed into the second deck in left field.
Pettitte labored through five innings and left with a 4-3 lead
after 103 pitches.

"He has been phenomenal. He's almost a sure thing whenever he's
pitching against us here at Yankee Stadium," Trembley said.
"Fortunately, we were able to work him and get his pitch count
up."

Tillman struck out a career-high eight in five-plus innings.
Mark Hendrickson worked three scoreless innings for his first
major league save.

NOTES: Orioles CF Felix Pie was batting in the sixth when he
came out of the game because of back spasms. He was replaced by
pinch-hitter Jeff Fiorentino, who reached on an infield single.
Fiorentino stayed in the game to play center. ... Baltimore 3B
Melvin Mora was hit in the right elbow by Pettitte's pitch in
the fifth, forcing home a run. Mora was pulled in the sixth for
pinch-hitter Ty Wigginton, who singled and remained in the game
at third base.