The Yankees won the rubber match of their opening series with the Boston Red Sox by a score of 3-1 in ten innings last night at Fenway Park.
Curtis Granderson hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot, in the top of the 10th inning to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. He crushed a 94 mile an hour fastball off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon into the right field seats.
Mark Teixeira's RBI ground out with the bases loaded gave the Yankees an insurance run to make it 3-1, as Brett Gardner scored from third base. That run batted in was Teixeira's first of the season.
Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey got his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry on his opening start with his new team. Lackey started out the season with a solid performance. He pitched six shutout innings, allowing just three hits, surrendered two walks and struck out three as he threw a total of 100 pitches.
His only real trouble came in the sixth inning.
He hit his first batter Derek Jeter, and after getting Nick Johnson out, he walked Teixeira. Lackey's pitch count was in the 90s, but he got Alex Rodriguez to ground into a double play to end the inning. Despite Lackey's good effort throughout the game, he got a no-decision.
Yankees starter Andy Pettitte, who also got a no-decision, had a satisfying performance. He pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits. He walked three and struck out four.
Pettitte did get into a jam in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury started the bottom of the inning with a single. Dustin Pedroia followed with a walk. Pettitte got Victor Martinez to ground into a double play, and Ellsbury ended up at third base on the DP.
Pettitte allowed his second walk to Red Sox clean up hitter Kevin Youkilis. With runners on the corners, David Ortiz grounded into the shift and Pettitte gets out of a jam, allowing no runs.
The Red Sox got their only run in the third inning. Dustin Pedroia hit a double down the left field line to start the inning. David Ortiz, who came into the at bat on an 0-for-8 skid, wristed a line drive into shallow right field with two outs. Pedroia scored from second, giving Ortiz his first RBI of the season.
Ortiz had another opportunity to drive in a run in the fifth inning with two outs. Martinez singled and Youkilis was hit by a pitch. Ortiz struck out swinging. Pettitte was pumped after the final out.
The Yankees got their first run in the seventh inning. Scott Schoeneweis started the inning in relief of Lackey. With one out, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada hit a line drive off the wall in left center around the 379 foot mark. The ball looked like it had a chance to go over the fence, but it turned into a double.
Looking at the hit on replay, Sox center fielder Mike Cameron may have had a chance to make a play on the ball. Cameron was running toward the wall, but after awhile he stopped and thought the ball would deflect at a high point off the wall.
The ball hit low off the wall, and had he kept running, he may have had a chance to make a play. That missed judgement cost the Sox a run in that inning.
After Granderson flew out, reliever Daniel Bard was called in to replace Schoeneweis. Nick Swisher ripped a two out single to right, scoring Posada to tie the game at 1-1. Swisher's run batted in cost Red Sox starter Lackey a chance at a victory. The tying run was charged to Schoeneweis.
Yankees reliever Chan Ho Park, who had a rough opening night on Sunday when he gave up the tying homer to Dustin Pedroia, had a really nice outing this time around. He pitched three scoreless innings, striking out one.
Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 10th to get his second save of the season.
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