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Baseball Today: Thursday, August 30 »
August 29, 2007
NEW YORK – This was a battle of Texas gunslingers – a past Red Sox ace matched against the present one – and on this night at least, old was better than new.
Roger Clemens, 45 years old and a dozen years after the Red Sox presumed his best days were behind him, limited the Sox to a single run over six innings while Josh Beckett, stalled in his attempt to become baseball’s first 17-game winner was knocked around for a career-high 13 hits as the Yankees grabbed a 4-3 victory.
Gaining momentum in their late-season pursuit of the front-running Red Sox, the Yankees carvied another game off the Sox’ lead. The Red Sox hold a six-game edge in the American League East heading into this afternoon’s series finale and must still face the Yankees’ best pitcher – Chien-Ming Wang.
The Sox gave themselves a late-inning chance when Kevin Youkilis hammered a homer into the seats in left off Kyle Farnsworth. The homer was the 14th of the season for Youkilis – establishing a personal best – and the fifth in a row away from home.
But the Sox fell short in their comeback, repelled by ageless Mariano Rivera, who recorded a four-out save. Rivera
Beckett, who suffered his first loss since July 31, yielded 13 hits, a career-high and the most number of hits allowed by a Red Sox starter since Curt Schilling gave up 13 on April 22, 2004 against Toronto.
Though the Yankees only scored in two of the seven innings in which Beckett pitched, the start was a game-long battle for him. Beckett didn’t have a single inning in which he retired every hitter he faced and only twice – the fourth and the fifth innings – did he face the minimum number of hitters.
When Alex Rodriguez hit a looping liner to left that got out in a hurry with two down in the seventh, Beckett’s night was through. He trudged off the mound to the derision of the partisan crowd and for an inning on so, stood at the far end of the dugout, his hands on his hips in apparent disbelief.
The Red Sox were held hitless by Clemens through the first five innings. But with one out in the sixth, the Sox snapped to no-hit bid and spoiled the shutout with a mighty swing from the bat of David Ortiz.
Ortiz drove a pitch from Clemens into the upper deck in right for his 25th homer of the season and fourth in his last five games.
The Sox hinted at a bigger inning when, with Clemens tiring, a two-out walk to Kevin Youkilis and a sharply-hit single to right by J.D. Drew gave the Sox baserunners at the corners.
But Clemens got Jason Varitek to hit an inning-ending roller to second, and was then finished for the night.
Beckett gave up a career-high 13 hits, four of them in the third when the Yankees bunched together three runs.
With Jorge Posada (single) aboard, Beckett was nearly out of the inning after Jason Giambi fouled out to first for the second out. But the inning was extended with a walk to Robinson Cano.
A single to center from No. 9 hitter Melky Cabrera produced the first run of the night and Cabrera then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Beckett and Johnny Damon then engaged in an epic at-bat, with Damon expertly fouling off pitched before slicing a groundball through the shortstop hole, delivering both baserunners.
The Sox’ starter then didn’t help himself in fielding a topper to the left of the mound from Derek Jeter. A wild throw to first got past Youkilis at first base, enabling Damon to take third and Jeter to move to second.
Beckett then ended the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to ground to second.
Clemens was wild early, but the Sox couldn’t take advantage.
He walked Drew and Varitek in succession with two out in the second, but Coco Crisp ended the threat with a groundout to first.
In the third, Clemens walked Eric Hinske to lead the inning, but after a groundout by Julio Lugo and a bunt try by Pedroia advanced Hinske to second, then third, Ortiz stranded him there by flying out to the warning track in left.
Varitek drew a second walk leading off the fifth, but never moved from first as Crisp struck out swinging, Hinske flied to center and Lugo grounded to third.
Through the fifth, the Sox had managed to four baserunners – without benefit of a hit.
-----SEAN McADAM
Posted by Thom Cahir 
at 10:35 PM to McAdam
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