NEW YORK - The game did not end until 1:10 AM Eastern time after waiting out a two hour and 14 minute rain delay and then taking in another near four hour game (3:48).
In the end though, the result was another familiar theme the Yankees (13-12) have seen this season when it came to beating their blood rival.
The Red Sox (16-12) had come out on top again.
Boston has been victorious in each of its four meetings with New York. This one, a 6-4 Red Sox victory, came in the first meeting between the two teams at the new Yankee Stadium. It saw the Red Sox jump out early, see a Yankees rally in the middle, Boston pulling away late, and finally a conclusion that only The Rivalry could bring.
Robinson Cano was up at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, trailing by two runs against closer Jon Papelbon. A base hit would have tied the game and an extra base hit would have won the game.
It appeared the Yankees had Papelbon on the ropes. The first two hitters in the inning had reached base via Brett Gardner’s infield single and Derek Jeter hit by a pitch. With no one out, Johnny Damon flew out to J.D Drew in right field. Mark Teixeira, who had homered twice, would be blown away by a 2-2 fastball for the second out.
With Cano up, he quickly got behind 1-2 in the count. Papelbon would then blow a 96 MPH fastball by Cano’s hot early season bat to end the game as the Red Sox closer pumped his fist in triumph.
Early on, it appeared as if Boston would run away and hide against starter Phil Hughes. Unlike his start in Detroit, he would not have the same success against the patient Red Sox lineup (aided by a miniature-sized strike zone by home plate umpire Jerry Meals). The young right-hander was clearly frustrated and it played a role in his ineffectiveness.
Hughes’ (1-1) night only lasted four innings as he was forced to throw 94 pitches, thus shortening his outing. Despite showing good control (56 strikes), he never got a call on the edge, leading the Red Sox to get single runs in each of his four innings. He gave up seven hits and four runs (three earned), while walking four and striking out two.
The first run of the game on a passed ball by catcher Jose Molina, which rolled to the backstop and allowed Dustin Pedroia to come home.
In the second inning, third baseman Mike Lowell jumped on a first pitch fastball from Hughes to send it into the left field seats to make it 2-0. Lowell would then make it 3-0 when he lofted an outside pitch into shallow right that dropped in front of Nick Swisher for a run scoring single.
David Ortiz would break out of his hitting slump in the fourth inning, lacing a double into the right field corner to score Jacoby Ellsbury as the Red Sox were seeking to build a picket fence.
The plan was to pitch Ortiz inside based on his early season struggles. However, they continued to go inside and not mix up pitch selection to have him thinking about anything else. Knowing this plan, Ortiz (who had been cheating at the plate by starting his swing early) would recognize the sequence, jump on the pitch, and hit it hard, much as he did back in the first inning when he took a similar offering and hammered it.
In between, Hughes would find himself in deep counts. Seven of the 22 hitters he saw found themselves in 2-2 or 3-2 counts aided by Meals’ incredible shrinking zone.
These problems were not given to Jon Lester who was tremendous for seven innings. He struck out the side in the first inning and that set the tone for his performance on the night.
Five of his first six outs came via strikeout and Yankee hitters were confused by the game being called by catcher Jason Varitek and the pitching of Lester.
His only hiccup came in the fifth when Derek Jeter struck out swinging in the bottom half. Two pitches prior, Meals called a strike on a pitch that Hughes had been getting called a ball on several occasions. This incensed both Jeter and Girardi, who showed their frustration. Girardi took the bullet for his player, ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes.
On the very next pitch, Johnny Damon cut the 4-0 lead in half by hitting a two-run homer to right. This was followed up by Teixeira cranked out a homerun to left center to make the lead 4-3.
Lester would rebound and take the ball through the seventh. In his seven innings, he allowed only those three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out 10.
The deficit would remain that way until new Yankee-killer Jason Bay hammered a drive down the left field line that hit off the foul pole for a two-run homerun to extend Boston’s lead to 6-3. Teixeira would get one back in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 6-4.
After Cano drew a walk from reliever Ramon Ramirez, manager Terry Francona brought on Papelbon, who would need 32 pitches to get the final five outs of the game.
The weather for Tuesday night’s game is iffy. If they do play, Joba Chamberlain will get the start for the Yankees and Josh Beckett will take the ball for the Red Sox.
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