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April 21, 2007
BY ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Editor
BOSTON -- David Ortiz hit a two-run double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the fourth, leading the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Yankees today at Fenway Park.
Ortiz' homer, into the lower right-field box seats with two outs, gave the Red Sox a 7-4 lead. It was Ortiz' 179th home run as a member of the Red Sox, moving him past Nomar Garciaparra into sole possession of 10th place on the franchise's all-time home-run list.
The Sox had broken a 4-4 tie earlier in the inning. Coco Crisp singled to left for his second hit of the day, stole second, went to third on a bunt by Alex Cora and came home on a grounder to short by Julio Lugo. Kevin Youkilis then walked, setting the stage for Ortiz.
Trailing 7-4, the Yankees put together a two-out rally in the top of the seventh that pushed across a run and knocked Josh Beckett out of the game. Derek Jeter singled, Bobby Abreu walked and Alex Rodriguez lined an RBI single into right.
Hideki Okajima replaced Beckett to face the left-handed Jason Giambi. Beckett, who had struggled in the first two innings (four runs allowed), retired 14 of 15 batters from the top of the third until there were two outs in the seventh. He wound up pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowed 9 hits and 5 runs, 3 earned, with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. The victory raised his record to 4-0.
Okajima struck out Giambi to end the inning.
Okajima retired Robinson Cano to begin the eighth, then was lifted in favor of Mike Timlin. Timlin retired Josh Phelps and Kevin Thompson on popups.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and recorded his fifth save. He allowed a walk, with one strikeout.
The Yankee starter, rookie Jeff Karstens (0-1), was lifted with one on and one out in the fifth. He worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed 9 hits and 7 runs, all earned. He walked 2 and struck out 1.
The Sox, who came back from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits, had tied it 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Crisp and Cora beat out back-to-back bunt singles, moved up a base on a wild pitch, then came home to score on a grounder by Lugo and an RBI single by Youkilis.
Melky Cabrera had broken a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the top of the second inning, and another run scored when Jeter grounded into a double play as the Yankees scored twice and moved ahead, 4-2.
Thompson had opened the second with a double. Wil Nieves, after failing to bunt him to third, hit a grounder down the third-base line that Mike Lowell fielded near the bag. Sensing he had no chance to get Nieves at first, he threw to second in an attempt to nail Thompson. But the throw went into right field, putting runners at second and third.
Cabrera's single to center scored Thompson, making it 3-2. When Jeter grounded into a double play, second to first, Nieves came home with New York's fourth run.
In the bottom of the first, Ortiz blasted a two-run double over the head of Abreu in right field, scoring Lugo and Youkilis and lifting the Red Sox into a 2-2 tie.
Lugo had led off the inning with a single and Youkilis followed with a double into the left-field corner.
Two-out RBI singles by Giambi and Cano had given the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Jeter had singled with one out and moved to second on a walk to Abreu. Beckett struck out Rodriguez for the second out, then surrendered a bloop single to right by Giambi.
Cano followed with an infield hit to second, driving in Abreu.
Posted by Art Martone 
at 7:30 PM | Permalink
