I'm not going to assume that they'll keep this pace up but I'll simply state facts: the Boston Red Sox are now 6-1 vs. the New York Yankees this season after their 6-4 win at Yankee Stadium last night.
The win, in the series opener, is also Boston's (34-26) 11th in its last 14 against New York (33-25) going back to last season and it pulled the two teams into a deadlock atop the AL East.
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was the focus before the game since MLB handed down a three-game suspension to him for bumping an umpire in Saturday's marathon win. Of course he appealed, so he was in the bullpen last night and survived a rocky ninth (27 pitches, 1 earned run, 1 hit, 1 walk) for his 12th save of the season.
The save was extra special since it was the 200th of Papelbon's career and he did it in the shortest amount of time in MLB history (359 appearances). Yankees icon Mariano Rivera held the record with 200 saves in 382 games.
As required by law, the game was played at a snail's pace thanks to Freddy Garcia being himself and Jon Lester (8-2) continuing to scuffle.
Garcia (4-5) had nothing, leading Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy to speculate maybe he has a dead arm, and the Red Sox teed off. He lasted only 1.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits with three walks and a strikeout.
Lester was fighting himself and his control all night. He hit two batters in the first, including Yankees star Mark Teixeira who left with after getting plunked on the knee. Lester lasted six innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Boston put up three runs in the first, led by Jacoby Ellsbury's leadoff homer (his seventh of the season). Adrian Gonzalez drove in Dustin Pedroia with an RBI triple and Kevin Youkilis plated Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly.
Robinson Cano knocked in Curtis Granderson in the home half of the first with an RBI single.
Pedroia made it 4-1 with an RBI double in the second.
David Ortiz hit a two-run bomb (his 14th of the season) in the fifth off rookie Hector Noesi. It wouldn't be Red Sox-Yankees without some sort of fake controversy and Big Papi provided some fuel to the media's unwashed masses as he flipped his bat after the shot. I have no problem with that or if anyone else on any other team does it. Baseball has too many unwritten dumb rules. The game needs more personality, not less.
Nick Swisher cut it to 6-3 with a two-run double in the fifth. Jorge Posada (3 hits), who came in for Teixeira, had an RBI single in the ninth.
Tonight's pitching matchup features two complete wild cards: Tim Wakefield goes for the Red Sox against A.J. Burnett of the Yankees. All I know is that once the clock turns to 8, I'll be watching the Stanley Cup Finals (Bruins vs. Canucks, Game 4). I'll only turn back to the baseball game during commercial breaks and intermission.
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