Sep 16, 2007, 0:25 GMT
Boston, MA - Josh Beckett threw seven strong innings to become the majors' first 19-game winner and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in three runs as the Boston Red Sox crushed the New York Yankees, 10-1, in the middle contest of three at Fenway Park.
Beckett (19-6) allowed one run and three hits, fanning seven and walking just two to post his third straight win and fourth in his last five starts.
'I thought Beckett did exactly what we have kind of come to expect and also needed,' said Sox manager Terry Francona. 'He pitched like an ace of a staff today. Against the best lineup in baseball, he went out there and did exactly what we needed.'
David Ortiz was 3-for-3 with two RBI for the Red Sox, who have won three of four and increased their AL East lead over the Yankees to 5 1/2 games.
Mike Lowell also drove in a pair, Eric Hinske homered among his two hits and also scored two runs, Coco Crisp finished with two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while J.D. Drew added an RBI single.
Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang (18-7) was charged with nine hits and five runs with three strikeouts and three walks over 5 2/3 innings in the loss -- breaking a personal five-start win streak.
'It was strange. It looked at times like (Wang) had the good downer (sinker) and other times it looked a little flat,' said Yankees manager Joe Torre. 'He was just inconsistent today, whether it was his release point or whatever it was.'
Derek Jeter finished 2-for-4 with a home run for the Yankees, who have dropped two of three, and, coupled with Detroit's win over Minnesota later Saturday, saw its AL wild card lead shrink to 2 1/2 games over the Tigers.
Catcher Jorge Posada was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital following the game for a precautionary head examination. Posada appeared to be shaken up when Hinske collided with him at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. On the play, Yanks second baseman Robinson Cano fielded Dustin Pedroia's grounder and threw to the plate.
Posada was able to block the plate and tag Hinske, but was knocked to the ground as Hinske barreled over him. After shaking off the cobwebs for several minutes, Posada remained in the game.
'Jorge is a little beat up,' added Torre. 'He's got a headache pretty good and it rung his bell pretty well.'
Following a four hour, 43 minute marathon on Friday which saw the Yankees rally from a 7-2 deficit to win, Saturday's game lasted three hours, 37 minutes but the Red Sox put to rest any hopes of another shocking New York victory.
With the game tied, 1-1 in the fifth, Wang plunked Youkilis on the right wrist with one out, and after Ellsbury came in to pinch-run, Ortiz singled to put runners at first and third. Following a Lowell line out, Drew sliced a ball to left which plated Ellsbury for a 2-1 lead.
Boston came back with three in the sixth on an Ellsbury run-scoring single followed by an Ortiz two-run double.
Beckett retired 12 in a row until he deposited a pitch onto Jason Giambi's right elbow with two down in the seventh, and both benches were issued warnings. Though Robinson Cano singled, Melky Cabrera fanned and the four-run lead was intact.
In the home half, the Sox tacked on four more runs on Crisp's RBI ground-rule double, a two-run single from Ellsbury, and a bases-loaded walk to Lowell.
Mike Timlin kept the Yanks off the board in the eighth, and a one-out, solo blast by Hinske put Boston ahead 10-1 in the bottom of the inning.
Bryan Corey finished the contest with a scoreless ninth.
Jeter's one-out solo homer to deep center put New York up 1-0 in the first, then Boston came back in the bottom half on Lowell's RBI single.
The Sox loaded the bases in the third on three two-out walks, but Wang got Jason Varitek to fly out and keep the game deadlocked.
Game Notes
The Sox broke the Yankees' five-game series win streak, but New York leads the season series 9-8...Youkilis was diagnosed with a right-wrist contusion and X-rays were negative...Jeter's homer was his 10th of the season, and Hinske slugged his sixth of the year...Sunday's probables are Curt Schilling for the Sox and Roger Clemens for the Yankees...The Yanks fell to 6-2 on their current nine-game road trip, and have won seven of the last nine games against the Sox...Stephen King, Jeff Gordon, Steve Martin and Renee Russo were in attendance...The Yankees used five pitchers during a 36-minute bottom half of the seventh...Attendance was 36,215.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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