Recap: Boston vs. NY Yankees
Sports Network | September 27, 2008
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Cody Ransom belted a pair of homers to highlight a 20-hit attack as New York routed Boston, 19-8, in the opener of a three-game set at Fenway Park.
The loss eliminated the Red Sox from the AL East race, giving Tampa Bay its first division title in franchise history. Boston is in the postseason, however, already clinching the AL wild card berth.
Ransom, who entered the game in the third inning for an injured Derek Jeter, finished 3-for-3 and scored three runs for the Yankees, who have won eight of their past nine games but had their run of 13-straight playoff appearances dashed earlier in the week.
Johnny Damon also homered for New York, while Robinson Cano drove in five runs and Brett Gardner had four RBI.
Alfredo Aceves started on the hill and allowed four runs on five hits in four innings. David Robertson (4-0) won it after throwing two innings of scoreless relief.
Jacoby Ellsbury was 4-for-5 with a solo homer for the Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis added a two-run shot.
David Pauley (0-1) started on the hill when Boston erred on the side of caution and scratched star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka after a 91-minute rain delay at the outset of the game. Pauley struggled mightily, surrendering seven runs -- six earned -- on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
Trailing 3-1, New York went in front for good with three runs in the second. Xavier Nady singled up the middle, moved to third on Chad Moeller's one-out double and scored when Gardner grounded out to second. Damon followed by lacing his 17th homer of the year to make it a 4-3 game.
The Yankees added three more runs in the third. Bobby Abreu singled to right and swiped second. After Alex Rodriguez fanned, Jason Giambi walked and Nady singled to load the bases. Cano followed with a sacrifice fly that chased Pauley. David Aardsma came on and plunked Moeller before giving up a two-run single to Gardner.
New York kept pouring it on with five more runs in the fourth. Ransom led off the inning with his third homer of the season. Abreu followed by drawing a walk and, after Rodriguez lined out, Giambi was hit by a pitch and Nady walked to load the bases. Cano then lined a two-run double off the Green Monster.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough of Aardsma and went to Mike Timlin but Moeller greeted the veteran reliever with a sac fly before Gardner capped the frame with a run-scoring single to left.
A Gil Velazquez RBI single in the bottom of the fourth got Boston back on the board but Ransom blasted his second homer of the game off Timlin to lead off the fifth and make it 13-4.
Jonathan Van Every's RBI grounder in the fifth drew the Red Sox to within 13-5 but the Yankees kept lighting up the scoreboard with three more runs in the seventh. Ransom and Abreu both walked before Wilson Betemit slapped an RBI double to left. Giambi followed with an RBI grounder and Cano eventually sliced an RBI double to left and New York was on top 16-5.
Abreu hit a sac fly in the eighth, while Cano had an RBI single and Nady scored on a ground ball double-play in the ninth to give the Yankees a gaudy 19-5 edge.
Jed Lowrie's run-scoring double and Van Every's fog-aided two-run triple off Chris Britton in the bottom of the ninth accounted for the final margin.
The Yankees jumped on top with a run in the first. The inning should have been over when Abreu grounded to Sean Casey with two down. But, the ball went threw the wickets of the first baseman and Abreu advanced to second before Rodriguez sliced an RBI single to right-center.
Boston answered with three runs of its own in the home-half of the first. Ellsbury led off the frame by ripping a homer just inside Pesky's Pole down the right field line. Lowrie followed with a walk and, after Mike Lowell flied out, Youkilis lined his 29th home run of the year over the Green Monster in left.
Jeter left in the game in the third inning with a sore left hand, an injury that has bothered him since he was hit by a pitch last Saturday...Lowell, who is coming back form a torn labrum in his hip, was removed for precautionary measures due to the wet field...The game was delayed by 91 minutes at the outset and for 38 minutes during the top of the fifth...Yankees All-Star closer Mariano Rivera is considering whether to have surgery on his sore right shoulder in the offseason. Yankees manager Joe Girardi downplayed the injury, however. "This isn't something that is a serious shoulder injury," Girardi said. "It wasn't affecting his stuff. It wasn't affecting his ability to get people out."...Meanwhile, Girardi also revealed that starting pitcher Andy Pettitte had a second MRI exam on his left shoulder and the results were promising...The Red Sox were set to retire the number of Johnny Pesky but moved the ceremony to Sunday because of the weather.
