AMERICAN LEAGUE
REUTERS, NEW YORK
The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox for the first time this season, slamming four home runs to crush their arch rivals 13-6 on Thursday.
PHOTO: AFP
Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira and Melky Cabrera all homered for the Yankees, who have won four successive games, but had lost their eight previous games against the Red Sox.
Cabrera and Posada’s homers highlighted an eight-run fourth inning for the Yankees, while Damon’s homer in the third inning was his third in three days.
“That team [Boston] is in second place and we’ve got to beat that team,” Teixeira told reporters. “For us to get that big inning and get a little bit of a cushion, it made everybody — and probably the fans, too — have a sigh of relief.”
PHOTO: AFP
With Muhammad Ali among the sell-out crowd, the Yankees ended a nine-game skid against Boston dating to last season, New York’s longest drought in the rivalry since 1912.
The Red Sox, who have now lost their last three games, are three-and-a-half games behind the American League East-leading Yankees.
“That’s an unforgiving lineup in an unforgiving ballpark,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of the Yankee batters.
Joba Chamberlain (8-2) had control issues in walking seven, but still picked up his fourth successive win. He went five innings and allowed four runs on six hits, striking out five.
“You’ve got to give credit to the offense for picking us all up and doing the things that they’ve done great since the second half,” Chamberlain said.
The Red Sox started veteran John Smoltz (2-5), who was rocked for eight runs on nine hits in just three-and-a-third innings.
Dustin Pedroia and Casey Kotchman both homered for Boston.
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