Bombers bash Sawx for 20 runs, 23 hits in beat down
BOSTON – According to the baseball schedule an results for the 2009 season, it is true that in fact the Red Sox beat the Yankees eight straight times.
No, it is not a misprint. It actually happened.
That was during the time when Boston appeared to have the upper hand over their long time enemies and the gap between the two was a wide as the Atlantic Ocean.
Oh, how things have changed.
And changed dramatically. Last night, the Yankees won their fifth straight from Boston, administering an emphatic beating, this time 20-11 in front of 37,869 at Fenway Park.
Winning for the first time this season in Boston after losing their first six in Boston, the Yankees set out to quickly establish that those days were long in the past, much as they did in their four game sweep two weeks ago.
Derek Jeter lead off the game by hitting a ground rule double along Pesky’s Pole and Mark Teixeira walked to put runners on first and second with one out against Red Sox starter Brad Penny. Alex Rodriguez would load the bases, reaching on an infield single and with two outs after Hideki Matsui struck out, Jorge Posada singled home two runs with a base hit up the middle.
Boston got one run back from Yankee starter Andy Pettitte on a sacrifice fly by Victor Martinez. But the offense struck back in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Erik Hinske (who subbed for Johnny Damon after being removed from the game after fouling a pitch off his knee) hit a ground-rule double down the right field line to score Melky Cabrera from third. Teixeira would then double home Jeter and Hinske. Finally, Rodriguez would lace an RBI single that scored Teixeira to make it 6-1.
The Yankees were not done with Penny just yet. After giving him a stay of execution for the next two innings, they would deliver a knockout in the fifth. Teixeira and Rodriguez each singled to start the inning and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came out to the mound to remove Penny, who would was showered with boos on the way to the dugout.
Enter Michael Bowden, just called up from AAA-Pawtucket before the game and endure a difficult baseball lesson of “taking one for the team”. On an 0-1 pitch, Matsui crushed a three-run homer into the Boston bullpen to make it 9-1.
After a walk to Posada followed by a wild pitch, Robinson Cano drove him home with an RBI single. Melky Cabrera and Teixeira would each follow with an RBI singles to extend the lead to 12-1.
The merciful inning finally ended when Matsui popped out to shortstop Alex Gonzalez. In all, the sent 12 men to the plate, plating six runs, six hits and forced Bowden to throw 45 pitches.
Pettitte, now given an 11-run lead and having to wait 40 minutes between innings, was understandably rusty coming back for the bottom half of the fifth. Boston scored three runs courtesy of a two-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury and an RBI single by Dustin Pedroia.
Choosing not to use any of his main bullpen arms, Francona elected to have the young Bowden come back out for the sixth. The Yankees proceeded to score three more runs off him. An RBI double by Cabrera was followed by a two-run single to center by Jeter to make it a 15-4 game.
Pettitte would allow the first three Red Sox hitters to reach base in the six, culminating in an RBI single by David Ortiz to make it 15-5, ending his night. It was not his best performance. Considering the big lead and long in between times, it was understandable why his last two innings were not as good as his first four.
Brian Bruney came on in relief and after giving up a single to Mike Lowell, he walked Rocco Baldelli with the bases loaded an no one out. He induced Alex Gonzalez into a double play that scored another, but nothing else after that.
With the score now 16-7 in the seventh, Boston mounted another rally. After Bruney got Pedroia to fly out to right, he walked Jason Varitek and Nick Green in between hitting Casey Kotchman with a pitch. Girardi came out to remove him and brought in Damaso Marte, who was making his first appearance since injuring himself in April.
The return for Marte was successful as was induced Ortiz to fly out to shallow left and striking out Mike Lowell to end the threat.
Matsui would make it a career night in the ninth when his hit another three-run homer down the right field line to extend the lead to 19-7. For Matsui, it was his career high seventh run batted in on the night, going along with his 21st homerun of the season. Nick Swisher made the tally an official 20 with an RBI single to center off Ramon Ramirez.
It was an explosion not seen this season from this offense. The 23 hits and 20 runs were both season highs. Eight players had at least two hits. Jeter and Teixeira each had three hits and Rodriguez and Cabrera had a four-hit evening. In total, the team was a ridiculous 15 for 25 with men in scoring position, a .600 average.
The win puts the Yanks back up by 7 1/2 games going into Saturday’s decisive pitching edge as AJ Burnett, who has struggled twice at Fenway Park this season is matched up with Junichi Tazawa.
BOSTON – According to the baseball schedule an results for the 2009 season, it is true that in fact the Red Sox beat the Yankees eight straight times.
No, it is not a misprint. It actually happened.
That was during the time when Boston appeared to have the upper hand over their long time enemies and the gap between the two was a wide as the Atlantic Ocean.
Oh, how things have changed.
And changed dramatically. Last night, the Yankees won their fifth straight from Boston, administering an emphatic beating, this time 20-11 in front of 37,869 at Fenway Park.
Winning for the first time this season in Boston after losing their first six in Boston, the Yankees set out to quickly establish that those days were long in the past, much as they did in their four game sweep two weeks ago.
Derek Jeter lead off the game by hitting a ground rule double along Pesky’s Pole and Mark Teixeira walked to put runners on first and second with one out against Red Sox starter Brad Penny. Alex Rodriguez would load the bases, reaching on an infield single and with two outs after Hideki Matsui struck out, Jorge Posada singled home two runs with a base hit up the middle.
Boston got one run back from Yankee starter Andy Pettitte on a sacrifice fly by Victor Martinez. But the offense struck back in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Erik Hinske (who subbed for Johnny Damon after being removed from the game after fouling a pitch off his knee) hit a ground-rule double down the right field line to score Melky Cabrera from third. Teixeira would then double home Jeter and Hinske. Finally, Rodriguez would lace an RBI single that scored Teixeira to make it 6-1.
The Yankees were not done with Penny just yet. After giving him a stay of execution for the next two innings, they would deliver a knockout in the fifth. Teixeira and Rodriguez each singled to start the inning and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came out to the mound to remove Penny, who would was showered with boos on the way to the dugout.
Enter Michael Bowden, just called up from AAA-Pawtucket before the game and endure a difficult baseball lesson of “taking one for the team”. On an 0-1 pitch, Matsui crushed a three-run homer into the Boston bullpen to make it 9-1.
After a walk to Posada followed by a wild pitch, Robinson Cano drove him home with an RBI single. Melky Cabrera and Teixeira would each follow with an RBI singles to extend the lead to 12-1.
The merciful inning finally ended when Matsui popped out to shortstop Alex Gonzalez. In all, the sent 12 men to the plate, plating six runs, six hits and forced Bowden to throw 45 pitches.
Pettitte, now given an 11-run lead and having to wait 40 minutes between innings, was understandably rusty coming back for the bottom half of the fifth. Boston scored three runs courtesy of a two-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury and an RBI single by Dustin Pedroia.
Choosing not to use any of his main bullpen arms, Francona elected to have the young Bowden come back out for the sixth. The Yankees proceeded to score three more runs off him. An RBI double by Cabrera was followed by a two-run single to center by Jeter to make it a 15-4 game.
Pettitte would allow the first three Red Sox hitters to reach base in the six, culminating in an RBI single by David Ortiz to make it 15-5, ending his night. It was not his best performance. Considering the big lead and long in between times, it was understandable why his last two innings were not as good as his first four.
Brian Bruney came on in relief and after giving up a single to Mike Lowell, he walked Rocco Baldelli with the bases loaded an no one out. He induced Alex Gonzalez into a double play that scored another, but nothing else after that.
With the score now 16-7 in the seventh, Boston mounted another rally. After Bruney got Pedroia to fly out to right, he walked Jason Varitek and Nick Green in between hitting Casey Kotchman with a pitch. Girardi came out to remove him and brought in Damaso Marte, who was making his first appearance since injuring himself in April.
The return for Marte was successful as was induced Ortiz to fly out to shallow left and striking out Mike Lowell to end the threat.
Matsui would make it a career night in the ninth when his hit another three-run homer down the right field line to extend the lead to 19-7. For Matsui, it was his career high seventh run batted in on the night, going along with his 21st homerun of the season. Nick Swisher made the tally an official 20 with an RBI single to center off Ramon Ramirez.
It was an explosion not seen this season from this offense. The 23 hits and 20 runs were both season highs. Eight players had at least two hits. Jeter and Teixeira each had three hits and Rodriguez and Cabrera had a four-hit evening. In total, the team was a ridiculous 15 for 25 with men in scoring position, a .600 average.
The win puts the Yanks back up by 7 1/2 games going into Saturday’s decisive pitching edge as AJ Burnett, who has struggled twice at Fenway Park this season is matched up with Junichi Tazawa.
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