Sep 17, 2007, 3:39 GMT
Boston, MA - Derek Jeter's three-run homer off Curt Schilling in the eighth inning gave the Yankees the lead and his backpedaling catch with the bases loaded ended the game, as New York held on for a 4-3 win over Boston in the final 2007 regular season meeting between the storied AL East rivals.
Robinson Cano also homered for the Yankees, who won eight of the final 10 meetings with the Red Sox this season and pulled within 4 1/2 games of Boston for the lead in the division. New York also remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Detroit for the wild card spot, as the Tigers beat Minnesota, 6-4, earlier Sunday.
Roger Clemens, undefeated in nine career regular season starts as an opponent at Fenway Park, took the hill for the first time since a sore elbow forced him to leave a September 3 game against Seattle. He threw six innings, allowing two hits and an unearned run against his former team as the Yankees won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Joba Chamberlain (2-0) threw two innings for the win, giving up a solo homer to Mike Lowell. Mariano Rivera gave up an RBI double to Julio Lugo with two outs in the ninth and then proceeded to load the bases, but retired David Ortiz on a pop up to Jeter in short center field to pick up his 28th save.
Schilling (8-8) was charged with six hits and four runs through 7 2/3 innings to lose his third straight decision.
Lowell had three of Boston's five hits. The Red Sox dropped two of the three games in the weekend series.
Doug Mientkiewicz singled and pinch-hitter Jason Giambi doubled to left field with one out in the eighth. Johnny Damon then grounded a ball weakly toward second base and the runners were left at second and third with two down. Jeter then crushed a 2-2 offering, an inside fastball, over the Green Monster for his 11th homer of the year.
'Schilling was great,' said Yankees manager Joe Torre. 'He just left a splitter up to Jeter, who has been a big game player for a long, long time.'
Chamberlain, who had not allowed an earned run in his first 12 major league appearances, gave up a homer to Lowell with two down in the eighth.
Rivera walked Jason Varitek to start the ninth and after a pair of groundouts, Lugo doubled to left-center field to get the Red Sox within a run. Jacoby Ellsbury was then hit by a pitch on his left kneecap, and Dustin Pedroia fell behind 0-2 in the count before working a walk on an inside pitch. Ortiz then popped out to finish his 0-for-3 night.
'We gave ourselves a chance,' said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. 'That doesn't make us feel a lot better tonight because we lost, but we did some good things to try to win. We'll take that spot again with David hitting.'
Lowell singled in Ellsbury in the first before the Yankees tied the game in the fifth on Cano's leadoff drive to left field.
Game Notes
The Yankees won the season series, 10-8...This was Clemens' first game at Fenway since beating Pedro Martinez in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS...Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, who was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for a precautionary head examination following a collision at home plate Saturday, started as the designated hitter and went hitless in four at-bats...The Yankees start a three-game series at home against Baltimore Monday, while Boston plays three at Toronto...Lowell now has 108 RBI this year, the second- highest single season total ever by a Red Sox third baseman, passing Mike Higgins (106 in 1937 and 1938). Butch Hobson is the club's all-time leader in that category with 112 RBI in 1977...Ellsbury went hitless for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on September 1...The Yankees have scored a total of two runs while Clemens has been in the game in his last two starts after scoring a total of 21 runs with him on the mound in his previous four contests...Jeter has 2,335 career hits, one shy of tying Bernie Williams for fourth place on the Yankees' all-time list.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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