BOSTON — Derek Jeter needed one pitch to reach a milestone and get the Yankees going again.
New York’s leadoff batter hit the first pitch of the game for a homer, his 2,700th career hit, and the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 Sunday night with five homers off Josh Beckett.
“We got pitches to hit and we hit them,” Jeter said one night after Boston’s 14-1 win. “It’s not really more complicated than that. When we hit them, we hit them hard.”
Yankees starter CC Sabathia became the majors’ first 15-game winner but wasn’t as sharp as he had been, forcing fans hoping for a pitchers duel between the AL’s only two 14-game winners to settle for a power display.
“Beckett is a great pitcher,” Sabathia said, “but this lineup is unbelievable.”
Hideki Matsui hit two homers, matching his output of Friday night, and Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez also went deep.
“These are humbling deals,” Beckett said. “That was a whupping I got today. That’s the only words I’ve got to sum it up.”
Sabathia (15-7) won his fifth straight start but gave up three earned runs and eight hits. He had allowed a total of three runs in his previous three starts. But he had excellent control with eight strikeouts and no walks.
“You take a little solace in the fact that he’s been pitching well,” said Jason Bay, who struck out in two of his three at-bats against Sabathia. “He pitched well and we still got four runs. Ultimately tonight our guy gave up more.”
Beckett (14-5) was hurt by the long ball for the third straight game, allowing a career-high five homers. He’s given up 10 in those three games, the same amount he allowed in his other 22. He lasted eight innings but gave up eight runs on nine hits while striking out five and walking none. He allowed seven runs in his previous start.
The aces of their pitching staffs figured to shut down streaking offenses that produced a 20-11 win by New York and a rout by Boston in the first two games of the series. That prospect faded early when the score was tied at 2 after two innings. The Yankees scored in each of the first five innings.
The Red Sox had four runs off Sabathia before he left with two outs in the seventh.
“These are two of the best teams in baseball, two of the best lineups,” Sabathia said. “You’ve just got to go out and hold it down the best you can.”
The Yankees improved to 16-4 in their last 20 games and won their 10th series out of 11 since the All-Star break. They lead the second-place Red Sox by 7½ games in the AL East.
Jeter’s homer left him in second place in career hits for the Yankees, 21 behind Lou Gehrig. It was his second of the season leading off the Yankees’ first inning and tied Alfonso Soriano for second in team history with 21. Rickey Henderson leads with 24 for the Yankees.
Beckett’s first pitch in the second inning also cleared the fence as Matsui hit his first homer of the game.
The Red Sox tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single by Rocco Baldelli and a run-scoring double by Jason Varitek.
The Yankees made it 4-2 in the third on Mark Teixeira’s RBI single and Rodriguez’s run-scoring groundout. Cano hit his 19th homer, a solo shot in the fourth that tied his career high, and Rodriguez hit his 22nd, a two-run drive, in the fifth that made it 7-3.
The Red Sox had scored a run in the fourth when Varitek’s popup bounced off Cano’s left arm as the second baseman overran the ball. That allowed Bay, who had singled, to score. Baldelli’s sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 7-4.
Beckett settled down after Rodriguez’s homer and retired nine straight batters before Matsui hit his 23rd with two outs in the eighth.
“He never feels real hittable. He’s always an uncomfortable at-bat,” Rodriguez said. “Tonight we got our pitches and we didn’t miss them.”
Notes: Sabathia is 20-2 in August since 2005. … Johnny Damon started in left field for New York after missing Saturday’s game with a bruised right knee suffered when he fouled a pitch off it on Friday night. … Boston lefty DH David Ortiz got the night off against left-hander Sabathia after hitting his 20th homer and driving in three runs Saturday. Manager Terry Francona used Mike Lowell, who has been hitting well, at DH and said the Red Sox will face right-handers the next three nights against the Chicago White Sox. … Nick Swisher’s streak of reaching base in 30 straight games ended.
Related News
Rodriguez hits 3-run homer, helping the Yankees set a franchise home-run recordOctober 4th, 2009 Yankees set franchise record for homersST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner spends team with his team before regular-season finaleOctober 4th, 2009 George Steinbrenner spends time with his teamST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
Mets pitchers Santana, Perez have surgery, expected to be ready for spring trainingSeptember 1st, 2009 Mets pitchers Santana, Perez have surgeryNEW YORK — Mets pitchers Johan Santana and Oliver Perez have undergone surgery and are expected to ready for spring training. Santana had bone chips removed from his left elbow Tuesday.
Yankees acquire minor league OF Freddy Guzman from Baltimore for player or cashSeptember 1st, 2009 Yankees acquire minor leaguer Guzman from OriolesBALTIMORE — The New York Yankees have acquired minor league outfielder Freddy Guzman from the Baltimore Orioles. In exchange for Guzman, who will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Orioles will receive a player to be named or cash.
Red Sox beat Yankees 14-1 behind 4 homers, Tazawa's strong pitchingAugust 23rd, 2009 Four HRs, Tazawa's pitching give Boston 14-1 winBOSTON — Kevin Youkilis homered twice and tied a career high with six RBIs, rookie Junichi Tazawa stopped New York's big bats and the Boston Red Sox broke a five-game skid against the Yankees with a 14-1 win Saturday. The Red Sox set a team record with their eighth consecutive multihomer game — David Ortiz and Alex Gonzalez connected for solo shots — and have 39 homers in August with eight games left.
2 Yankees minor leaguers suspended following positive drug testsAugust 21st, 2009 2 Yankees minor leaguers suspended for drugsNEW YORK — Two minor leaguers in the New York Yankees' organization have been suspended for 50 games each after positive tests under baseball's minor league drug program. The penalties for pitchers Nestor de Leon and Ramon Rodriguez began Thursday.
Blue Jays use long ball to beat New York 5-4, snapping Yankees' 7-game winning streakAugust 11th, 2009 Overbay, Hill send Blue Jays to win over YankeesNEW YORK — Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill hit solo homers, and the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen shut down the high-powered New York offense in a 5-4 victory Monday night that snapped the Yankees' seven-game winning streak. Overbay drove in two runs, and Edwin Encarnacion and Joe Inglett also drove in runs for the Blue Jays, who played an inspired game about 30 minutes after learning that teammate Alex Rios had been claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox.
Unlikely star Gonzalez pitches Oakland to 6-4 victory that snaps Yankees' 8-game win streakJuly 25th, 2009 A's snap Yankees' winning streak with 6-4 victoryNEW YORK — Gio Gonzalez worked out of trouble when Andy Pettitte could not, and a key decision by Yankees manager Joe Girardi went awry in the Oakland Athletics' 6-4 victory Saturday that snapped New York's eight-game winning streak. Landon Powell and Orlando Cabrera each drove in a pair of runs for the A's, who also ended an eight-game losing streak to the Yankees that dated to last season.
Johnson, Willingham, Dunn hit 3 straight homers against AstrosJuly 12th, 2009 Nationals hit 3 straight homers against AstrosHOUSTON — Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn of the Washington Nationals have homered in consecutive at-bats in the sixth inning off Houston's Felipe Paulino. The back-to-back-to-back shots Saturday night were the first by the Nationals since the franchise relocated from Montreal in 2005.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada back in lineup after sitting out with sore thumbJuly 4th, 2009 Yankees catcher Posada back in lineupNEW YORK — Yankees catcher Jorge Posada returned to the starting lineup Saturday after sitting out with a sore left thumb. Posada was hit by a foul ball in Wednesday night's 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
For the first time in 33 years, 3 1-0 games in 1 league on same dayJuly 2nd, 2009 3 NL teams win with the minimumOne run was enough for a victory for three National League teams Wednesday, the first time in 33 years there were three 1-0 games in one league on the same day. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time there were three 1-0 games in one league was Sept.
Yankees file official protest after loss to Florida, ruling expected this weekJune 23rd, 2009 Yankees file protest after loss to FloridaNEW YORK — The New York Yankees have filed an official protest with the commissioner's office, one day after a disputed loss to the Florida Marlins. New York manager Joe Girardi protested Sunday's 6-5 loss at Florida because of a Marlins substitution mix-up in the eighth inning.
Indians pitcher Reyes expected to miss 12-18 months after surgery on right elbowJune 13th, 2009 Reyes has surgery, expected to miss 12-18 monthsCLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians pitcher Anthony Reyes is expected to miss 12 to 18 months after having surgery on his right elbow. He had his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructed during a three-hour procedure performed by Dr.
Indians catcher Martinez out with bruised left knee against YankeesMay 31st, 2009 Indians' Martinez out with bruised kneeCLEVELAND — Indians catcher Victor Martinez did not start against the New York Yankees because of a bruised left knee and was not expected to play Sunday. The Indians also place All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow and called up utilityman Chris Gimenez to serve as a backup catcher to Kelly Shoppach.
Catcher Jorge Posada comes off DL for YankeesMay 30th, 2009 Yankees activate C Posada from disabled listCLEVELAND — New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was activated from the 15-day disabled list and was in the lineup for Friday night's game against the Cleveland Indians. Posada had been sidelined since straining his right hamstring May 4.
Loading ...