Before the game the Boston Red Sox placed catcher Scott Hatteberg on the Disabled List with a bad elbow and called up catcher Manny Romero, who played 12 games for the Sox last year. This isn't good as the Sox are limited with catching depth and Steve Lomasney not ready yet. Oh well, maybe Romero will go on a hot streak.
Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch popped up to first to start. Derek Jeter got a base hit to right but Paul O'Neill struck out swinging. Bernie Williams got a base hit to left but Tino Martinez lined out to right to end the inning. Cone got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman walked to start. Offerman was thrown out at second trying to steal and Jeff Frye flied out to right. Reggie Jefferson took strike three to end the inning.
Chili Davis doubled to right to start the top of the second and moved to third on a grounder to short by Jorge Posada. Chad Curtis struck out swinging and Scott Brosius took strike three to end the inning. Nomar Garciaparra flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Troy O'Leary flied out to center. Mike Stanley lined out to left to end the inning.
The Yankees struck first in the top of the third as Knoblauch grounded out to short to start. Jeter got a base hit to left and O'Neill singled to center. Williams struck out swinging but Martinez doubled to right to score Jeter. Davis grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 1-0.
Yankees strike first
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third although Jason Varitek beat out a roller to third to start. Darren Lewis forced him at second but Trot Nixon got a base hit to left but Offerman struck out swinging. Frye popped up to short to end the inning.
Posada lined out to left to open the top of the fourth and Curtis grounded out to third. Brosius got a base hit to center but Knoblauch struck out swinging to end the inning. Jefferson grounded out to first to open the bottom of the fourth and Nomar grounded out to short. O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Yankees got another run in the top of the fifth as Jeter walked to start. O'Neill flied out to center but Williams walked. Both runners moved over on a wild pitch but Martinez walked to load the bases. Nomar then dropped a pop up by Davis to score Jeter with another run but Posada struck out swinging. Curtis struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.
The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Stanley launched his third home run of the year to cut the lead. Varitek flied out to center but Lewis singled to left. Nixon flied out to center but Offerman walked. A passed ball moved the runners over and Frye walked to load the bases. Jefferson got a base hit to right to score Lewis but Offerman was thrown out at home to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Brosius singled to center to start the top of the sixth and Knoblauch dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Jeter hit a routine grounder to third but Frye's throw pulled Stanley off the bag at first for an error. O'Neill flied out to left and Williams struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Nomar doubled off the centerfield wall to start. O'Leary grounded out to first to move Garciaparra to third and Nomar scored on the wild pitch by Cone. Stanley got a base hit to center but Varitek grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.
Martinez came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Martinez doubled to left to start. Davis struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Martinez to second. Posada took strike three but Curtis walked. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out to ask Pedro if he was okay and Pedro told him to get the hell out of there before he popped him one. Williams smiled and said that's what he wanted to hear before leaving. Martinez punched out Brosius swinging to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who battled for 7 innings holding the Yankees to 2 runs off 10 hits and 4 walks while striking out 11.
Mike Stanton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Lewis got a base hit to left. Nixon dropped down a bunt to move Lewis to second but Offerman flied out to right. Frye grounded out to first to end the inning.
Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Knoblauch singled to left. Jeter struck out swinging and Rheal Cormier was brought in to face O'Neill. Paul grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Jefferson grounded out to short to start. Jason Grimsley came in to pitch and Nomar singled in the hole at second. O'Leary got a base hit to left and Stanley walked to load the bases. Varitek hit a routine grounder to second and Knoblauch fired the ball over the head of Jeter for an error to sore both Nomar and O'Leary. Lewis walked to reload the bases and Nixon grounded out to second to score Stanley. Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.
The Yankees rallied in the top of the ninth as Williams walked to start. Bernie took second on defensive indifference and scored on the Martinez base hit to right. Tom Gordon was summoned to close the game out and Davis flied out to center. Posada singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate and Shane Spencer pinch hit for Curtis. Gordon froze Spencer for strike three and Brosius forced Posada at second to end the game. The Sox had won the game 6-3.
Hero of The Night is Pedro Martinez. He held the world champions to just 2 runs in 7 innings off 10 hits and 4 walks.
The Good:
Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Mike Stanley was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.
Darren Lewis was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
Derek Lowe got the first out of the eighth inning.
Tom Gordon earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice.
Reggie Jefferson was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Jeff Frye was 0 for 3 with an error but walked.
Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
That was a big win against the Yankees and it shows they can hang with the world champs. Pedro labored big time and throwing 137 pitches in the middle of May might not have been the best idea, but things worked out this time. The bats got to Cone and the Yankee bullpen late which is usually what the Yankees do to other teams. Things got hairy in the ninth but Gordon shut the door. Getting him back healthy is a huge stress relief and the Sox can shorten games if Derek Lowe can pitch well. The Sox are going to need more starting pitching help if they hope to topple the Yankees come October but until then, its clear Pedro can hang with any of them. A win over the Yankees is never a bad thing and it improved the Sox to 22-16, a half game in front of New York for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Brian Rose looks for his first win of the season against Hideki Irabu of New York. The game begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.
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