After Pedro Martinez dominated his old nemesis, Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams rallied the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Mets in the first Subway Series of the season on Sunday.
Matsui tied the score with a two-run single off Roberto Hernandez and scored on a double by Williams as the Yankees took advantage of two eighth-inning errors.
Martinez left with a 3-1 lead after seven sterling innings, and Koo Dae-sung, one of the Mets' stars on Saturday, started the eighth.
PHOTO: AFP
Tony Womack reached when third baseman David Wright dropped his one-out grounder for an error, and shortstop Jose Reyes dropped the ball as he came across second base and messed up a potential double play.
Hernandez (2-2) relieved and after a double steal and an out, gave up Matsui's hit and Williams' double. Tino Martinez added a run-scoring single in the ninth off Mike DeJean.
Carl Pavano (4-2) won his fourth straight decision. He allowed three runs, but two were unearned due to Alex Rodriguez's team-high seventh error.
Cubs 4, White Sox 3
At Chicago, Mark Prior tossed a six-hitter, Jason Dubois hit a three-run homer and the Cubs averted a three-game sweep.
Prior (4-1) got his first win since April 25, despite giving up homers to Jermaine Dye, Tadahito Iguchi and Paul Konerko.
Prior struck out seven and walked one in his first complete game since August 2003, against the Dodgers.
Dubois' homer off reliever Luis Vizcaino (2-2) spoiled the major league debut of White Sox rookie Brandon McCarthy, who'd been called up from Triple-A Charlotte when Orlando Hernandez was put on the disabled list Sunday.
The 21-year-old McCarthy allowed just four hits and was charged with two runs in 5 1-3 innings, walking one and striking out six.
Red Sox 5, Braves 2
At Boston, Matt Clement was perfect except for two innings and remained unbeaten after pitching the first complete game of the season for the Red Sox.
Clement improved to 5-0 for the first time in his career, allowing four hits, striking out seven and walking none.
Boston tied it in the fifth and went ahead 5-2 in the sixth on David Ortiz's RBI double and a two-run homer by Manny Ramirez off Roman Colon (0-1). The World Series MVP finally seems to be emerging from a long slump that dropped his batting average to .229 entering the game but was .242 after he went 3-for-5.
John Smoltz struggled through 4 2-3 innings but didn't allow a run until the fifth, when Boston tied it at 2 after stranding eight runners through four innings.
Royals 9, Cardinals 2
At Kansas City, Missouri, John Buck's homer capped a nightmarish first inning for St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein, whose two errors led to six unearned runs.
Eckstein, who topped all major league shortstops last year with a .988 fielding percentage for Anaheim, made a third error in the second inning, leaving him just two short of the major league record.
Ryan Jensen (1-0), called up from Triple-A Omaha this week, went five innings for his first major league victory since 2002 as the Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Cardinals and a 10-game slide in interleague play.
Jeff Suppan (3-5) was charged with nine runs -- three earned -- in five innings. He gave up nine hits and struck out five.
Phillies 7, Orioles 2
At Baltimore, Cory Lidle pitched a six-hitter, and Pat Burrell went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk to lead Philadelphia. Mike Lieberthal also homered for last-place Philadelphia, which took two of three from the first-place Orioles.
Miguel Tejada homered for Baltimore, now 14-11 at home compared to 13-5 on the road.
Lidle (4-3) struck out four and walked one in his 11th career complete game, the first this season.
Sidney Ponson (5-2) allowed four runs, seven hits and four walks in seven innings. It was his first loss since April 14, even though his 5.83 ERA is second-worst on the staff.
Dodgers 6, Angels 2
At Los Angeles, Derek Lowe pitched seven effective innings, Ricky Ledee and Jason Phillips homered, and the Dodgers salvaged the finale of a three-game series.
Lowe (4-4) allowed nine hits and two runs while walking none and striking out seven to match a season-high.
The Dodgers snapped a 2-2 tie against Paul Byrd (4-4) in the fifth when Antonio Perez doubled, took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by Cesar Izturis.
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