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April 22, 2007
BOSTON -- The calendar said April. But it sure felt like October.
The Yankees certainly played it that way. They brought in the only reliable starting pitcher they currently have active, Andy Pettitte, in relief. They used a rash of pinch-hitters in the eighth, which forced them to use their emergency catcher in the bottom of the eighth.
In the end, though, it was the Red Sox doing the celebrating.
Mike Lowell blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, his second home run of the night, helping the Red Sox to a 7-6 victory over the Yankees tonight at Fenway Park. The homer, which made the score 7-5, came after the Sox had set a franchise record by blasting four consecutive home runs, one by Lowell, in the fourth inning.
After the Yankees had pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to re-take the lead, 5-4, manager Joe Torre -- in an unmistakable sign of how much importance he places on this game -- called on Friday's starter, Pettitte, to pitch the sixth and provide the bridge to the Yanks' normal corps of late-game relievers.
Pettitte did his job, surrendering a one-out walk to Kevin Youkilis but retiring David Ortiz on an inning-ending double play. He then turned it over to normal set-up man Scott Proctor.
But Proctor, pitching for the third straight game, got into immediate trouble, walking Manny Ramirez and allowing a wall double by J.D. Drew. Lowell followed with a hard line drive that hit just over the top of the wall in left, a three-run shot that made it 7-5.
Derek Jeter had homered to left leading off the top of the fifth, tying the game at 4-4, and the Yanks pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to retake the lead, 5-4.
Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled, not retiring the side in order through the first six innings. In the sixth, singles by Robinson Cano and Doug Mientkiewicz put runners at first and third with no out. Melky Cabrera grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Cano and giving the Yanks the lead.
Matsuzaka finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. But Alex Rodriguez -- who had struck out twice earlier in the game -- opened the eighth with a single to right and Red Sox manager Terry Francona lifted Matsuzaka in favor of Hideki Okajima. Okajima, pitching for the third straight game in the series, retired Jason Giambi on a popup before surrendering a single to Robinson Cano, putting runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada walked, loading the bases, and Francona called on Brendan Donnelly to face Melky Cabrera.
Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice, driving in Rodriguez and making it 7-6. Dustin Pedroia saved the lead by making a full-body dive and snaring a line drive by pinch-hitter Josh Phelps, ending the inning.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and recorded his second straight save in the series.
Up to then, the highlight of the night had been the Sox' third-inning onslaught off Yankee rookie Chase Hughes, only the fifth time in baseball history that a team has hit four straight home runs.
Ramirez started things by homering over everything in left-center. Then Drew homered to right. Then Lowell followed with a moon shot out of the ballpark in left. And then Jason Varitek hit one of his own into the left-field seats.
Drew had also been one of the players involved when the Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs last September.
Giambi doubled home a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning, then drove in another run with a bloop single just over the leap of Pedroia in the third, giving the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.
Matsuzaka retired the first two batters he faced, then walked Bobby Abreu on a 3-and-2 pitch and hit Rodriguez on the hands with the first pitch he threw A-Rod. Giambi drove a double up the gap in left-center field, scoring both runners.
In the third, Johnny Damon led off with a single and Matsuzaka hit Jeter in the back, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Abreu and Rodriguez were both called out on strikes, before Giambi lifted a soft pop into short right field. Pedroia just barely missed making an acrobatic catch, as the ball tipped off his glove.
With runners at first and third, Matsuzaka struck out Cano to end the inning.
The Red Sox seemed poised for a big inning in the bottom of the first when Hughes walked the first two batters he faced, Julio Lugo and Youkilis. But Chase retired Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew to snuff out the threat. In the second inning, they put together a two-out rally when Wily Mo Pena walked and Pedroia doubled, but Lugo grounded out.
Matsuzaka's troubles continued even after he was given the lead. Mientkiewicz opened the Yankee fourth with a ground-rule double to right-center, and moved to third on a grounder to first by Cabrera. Wil Nieves lined to Pedroia for the second out, and Damon ended the inning by grounding to first.
The Yankees lifted Hughes in favor of Colter Bean in the bottom of the fourth, and the Sox made a run at him. Lugo walked with one out, Youkilis reached on a fielder's-choice grounder to short, forcing Lugo, and Ortiz hit a ground-rule double to right, putting runners at second and third with two out. But Bean retired Ramirez on a check-swing grounder back to the mound, ending the inning.
Walks to Drew and Varitek gave the Sox runners at first and second in the bottom of the fifth. Bean got out of the jam by striking out Pena and retiring Pedroia on a grounder to short.
Posted by Art Martone 
at 11:47 PM | Permalink
