Yankees sweep in Boston Massacre redux By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer 27 minutes ago
BOSTON - The New York Yankees completed an unimaginable five-game sweep at Fenway Park, beating Boston 2-1 behind six shutout innings by Cory Lidle and extending their AL East lead to a season-high 6 1/2 games over the Red Sox.
After bashing Boston in outscoring them 47-25 over three days and two early morning, the Yankees relied on their pitching to win the sleepy series finale.
Manager Joe Torre shouted in the Yankees' dugout and exchanged hearty handshakes with his coaches after the hard-to-believe sweep.
The Red Sox hadn't been swept in a five-game series since the Cleveland Indians did it in 1954. The Yankees swept Boston in five games in New York in 1951 and at Fenway in '43.
It was 28 years ago that the Yankees came to Fenway in September with a four-game deficit and left tied for the division lead a series remembered in baseball as the "Boston Massacre." New York, which had trailed by as many as 14 games, won the AL East in a one-game playoff settled when Bucky Dent's popup settled into the net above the Green Monster.
The Yankees and Red Sox headed to the West Coast after this game. New York left in full command of the division while the Red Sox had to be thinking about the wild card they began the day four games behind in that race.
With both teams' bullpens shot both closers were unavailable and everyone else lethargic after the first 16 1/2 hours of baseball wrapped up at 1:26 a.m. Monday morning, Lidle and David Wells coasted through the first five innings.
But Wells (2-3) faltered first, giving up Bobby Abreu's RBI double in the sixth to break a scoreless tie. Wells gave up two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four before leaving with a runner on third and one out in the eighth, getting a standing ovation from the fans and his teammates.
Right after Wells left, reliever Keith Foulke threw a wild pitch that let Nick Green who had led off with a double trot home for a 2-0 lead.
Lidle (2-2), acquired at the trading deadline from Philadelphia along with Abreu, pitched six innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits and five walks to go with five strikeouts.
Octavio Dotel, Mike Myers, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth finished it for the Yankees. Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his second save in six tries while Mariano Rivera rested after pitching two innings on Sunday night.
The Yankees also started the game resting center fielder Johnny Damon, catcher Jorge Posada and first baseman Jason Giambi while used Derek Jeter at designated hitter.
Wily Mo Pena had two hits for Boston, including a solo homer in the eighth off Proctor.
Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez left the game in the fifth inning with a cramp in his right hamstring. He had been the most productive player in the Red Sox lineup during the series, going 8-for-11 with two homers, seven RBIs and nine walks.
He walked twice on Monday and left after being forced at second on Eric Hinske's fielder's choice in the fourth.
Notes:* According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last five-game sweep in the majors was Boston over Toronto at Fenway Park in 2002. ... Red Sox SS Alex Gonzalez, who missed the previous two games with back spasms, was originally in the starting lineup but was scratched. ... Jeter's fourth-inning single was the 1,531st of his career, tying him with Bernie Williams and Lou Gehrig atop the Yankees' all-time list. Williams reached the milestone on Friday. ... The Red Sox demoted Craig Hansen, their No. 1 draft pick in 2005, to Triple-A after he took the loss in extra innings on Sunday night. Bryan Corey was called up to replace him. ... Boston 1B Kevin Youkilis was not in the starting lineup a day after jamming his ankle and getting spiked in the hand. ... Kyle Snyder will start for Boston on Tuesday. ... Red Sox leadoff man Coco Crisp was 1-for-19 in the series. ... Torre said the groin tightness that caused starter Mike Mussina to leave Sunday night's game early was probably "just a cramp."
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BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - The New York Yankees won their fifth straight game against the Boston Red Sox 2-1 at Fenway Park on Monday, extending their lead in the American League East division to 6-1/2 games.It marked the first time the Red Sox have lost five straight games to the Yankees since 1951. The first of the Yankees' two runs came from a fifth-inning hit by right fielder Bobby Abreu. Abreu's double drove in left fielder Melky Cabrera, who had stolen second base.
A wild eighth-inning pitch by Boston relief pitcher Keith Foulke bounced off the ground and past catcher Javy Lopez, allowing Yankee shortstop Nick Green to run in from third base, scoring the Yankees' second run.
The win gives the Yankees (70-54) strong momentum going into the final month and a half of the season. But Derek Jeter, who started the game as designated hitter and finished as shortstop, said the team would not become overconfident.
"We play them again in another couple of weeks. It's no time to sit around and celebrate," Jeter said. "We're just going to take it one day at a time. It seemed like one day, one long day with five games. But we played well."
An eighth-inning home run by Red Sox right fielder Wily Mo Pena gave Boston its only score but failed to spark a comeback rally.
Red Sox shortstop Coco Crisp said his team needed to put the losing series behind it.
"Basically, I just don't think about it," he said. "Go out there and try to have a good day, start fresh and tell yourself anything can happen."
LOW-SCORING GAME
The one error of the game came on a hit by Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, when Yankees shortstop Nick Green interfered with second baseman Robinson Cano's effort to catch the pop fly, causing him to drop it and allowing Lowell to reach first base.
In the fourth inning, Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle walked three batters, loading the bases. But the Red Sox did not capitalize on that scoring opportunity, as an infield ground out hit by catcher Lopez ended the inning without score.
It was a low-scoring game compared with the first four of the series, when the Yankees averaged 12 runs to the Red Sox's six.
Ill-feeling runs high against the Yankees in Boston, where T-shirts bearing anti-Yankee slogans can be found alongside traditional Red Sox merchandise at many sidewalk stands.
The Red Sox (74-49) have 38 games to go in their regular season, with 39 left for the Yankees. The teams will face each other again in a four-game September series in New York.
Johnny Damon, a former Red Sox player who now plays outfield for the Yankees, faced Boston fans' loud booing during his brief appearance at center field in the ninth inning.
He said the series sweep would boost the New York team's confidence for the rest of the season.
"It's good to have a bit of breathing room," he said.
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Yankees starter Cory Lidle tossed six shutout innings to earn the win Monday against the Red Sox.
By Jimmy Golen, Associated Press BOSTON The New York Yankees celebrated in the dugout as if they'd just clinched a playoff berth. In a way, they've done everything but.
Hugging and shaking hands after a demoralizing five-game sweep of the rival Red Sox, the Yankees took a season-high 6½-game lead in the AL East with a 2-1 victory over Boston on Monday. The Yankees hadn't swept Boston in five games in more than half a century.
BOX SCORE: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1
"A sweep in Boston?" winning pitcher Cory Lidle said, pausing before breaking out in a big smile. "Pretty awesome."
After outscoring the Red Sox 47-25 in four games over three days and two early mornings, the Yankees rediscovered their pitching to win the sleepy series finale at Fenway Park.
"Everything went about as wrong as it could," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
Lidle (2-2) pitched six shutout innings in his third and best start since coming to New York at the trading deadline along with more-heralded slugger Bobby Abreu.
With All-Star closer Mariano Rivera unavailable after pitching two innings to win Sunday night's game actually, it ended at 1:26 a.m. Monday Kyle Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his second save in six tries.
Yankees manager Joe Torre shouted in the Yankees' dugout and exchanged hearty handshakes with his coaches, then hugged his players as they came off the field after the hard-to-believe sweep.
"It was emotional," Torre said. "When you're sitting there, a manager's dream is to have these guys, their attitude. The guys that didn't play today you had to be in the dugout to hear the support that they gave each other."
There were a lot of regulars not playing for the Yankees, who rested three regulars center fielder Johnny Damon, catcher Jorge Posada and first baseman Jason Giambi and used Derek Jeter at designated hitter.
David Wells (2-3) coasted through the makeshift lineup for five innings before Abreu doubled in Melky Cabrera to break the scoreless tie.
Nick Green doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the eighth to make it 2-0. Wily Mo Pena homered off Scott Proctor for Boston's only run.
It was 28 years ago that the Yankees came to Fenway in September with a four-game deficit and left tied for the division lead a series remembered in baseball as the "Boston Massacre." New York, which had trailed by as many as 14 games, won the AL East in a one-game playoff settled when Bucky Dent's popup settled into the net above the Green Monster.
The Red Sox hadn't been swept in a five-game series since the Cleveland Indians did it in 1954. The Yankees swept Boston in five games in New York in 1951 and at Fenway in '43.
"It's been an emotional weekend," Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta said. "It's been physically challenging and emotionally challenging for both sides. It's a little easier to take if you're winning."
Both teams left for the West Coast after the game, with the Red Sox knowing that their best chance in the postseason is the wild card. They began the day four games behind the Chicago White Sox and three in back of the Minnesota Twins.
"We came into this series thinking we could make up ground (because) we were playing the team right in front of us," Francona said.
"We certainly didn't put ourselves in a very good position. If we allow it to devastate us, then we weren't good enough in the first place," he said.
Lidle allowed three hits and five walks to go with five strikeouts. Octavio Dotel, Mike Myers and Proctor carried the shutout into the eighth.
Wells gave up two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four before Green doubled and moved to third on Cabrera's sacrifice bunt. Green scored to make it 2-0 when Keith Foulke's third pitch was wild.
Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez left the game in the fifth inning with a cramp in his right hamstring. He had been the most productive player in the Red Sox lineup during the series, going 8-for-11 with two homers, seven RBI and nine walks.
He walked twice on Monday and left after being forced at second on Eric Hinske's fielder's choice in the fourth.
Notes: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last five-game sweep in the majors was Boston over Toronto at Fenway Park in 2002. ... Red Sox SS Alex Gonzalez, who missed the previous two games with back spasms, was originally in the starting lineup but was scratched. ... Jeter's fourth-inning single was the 1,531st of his career, tying him with Bernie Williams and Lou Gehrig atop the Yankees' all-time list. Williams reached the milestone on Friday. ... Boston 1B Kevin Youkilis was not in the starting lineup a day after jamming his ankle and getting spiked in the hand. ... Kyle Snyder will start for Boston on Tuesday. ... Red Sox leadoff man Coco Crisp was 1-for-19 in the series. ... Torre said the groin tightness that caused starter Mike Mussina to leave Sunday night's game early was probably "just a cramp."
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BOSTON -- After the New York Yankees completed a five-game sweep in Boston, some Red Sox fans left Fenway Park Tuesday deflated and ready for football season to begin.
NewsCenter 5's Sonya Pfeiffer reported that some Sox fans were ready to tear their hair out, while Yankee fans gloated.
"Ok, we came all the way from Utah to watch the Red Sox beat the Yankees, and they lost," fan Deb Lamarche said.
Sales were down at many souvenir stores.
"We left at about 2 a.m. I got in my car, and I got home around 3 a.m. I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to be here at around 9 a.m.," souvenir seller Melissa Lopes said.
She said that she can only be so upbeat when surrounded by dejected fans.
"I am always good with customers, and I encourage them to buy as much as they want, but as far as the games and them winning, I kind of lost my hope," Lopes said.
There was one positive 6-year-old fan, who found a silver lining in the team's loss.
"The Sox were losing, but the Sox did hit a home run," Jeremy Ruskin said.
Most fans leaving the park said that they are happy that it's almost football season.
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BOSTON -- Just as luck would have it for the reeling Red Sox, they got every bit of the big-time pitching performance they were looking for out of David Wells on Monday afternoon, only to see the offense get put into silent mode by Yankees starter Cory Lidle and a slew of relief pitchers. That was how it all ended at Fenway, with the Red Sox enduring a humiliating five-game sweep at the hands of their rivals in this 2-1 defeat. That dropped the Red sox 6 1/2 games back in the American League East with 38 games to play. It marked the first time the Sox were swept in a five-game series since 1954, and the first time the Yankees gave them the five-game broom treatment since 1951.
Wells was masterful early, but the Yankees finally got to him in the sixth. Melky Cabrera got it started with a one-out single up the middle and Bobby Abreu ripped an RBI double into the gap in left-center to make it a 1-0 game.
The Red Sox simply couldn't get anything going against Lidle, being held to three hits and no runs over the first six innings.
The Yankees manufactured an insurance rally in the seventh. Nick Green led off with a double and Melky Cabrera bunted him to third. Wells, who pitched a tremendous game under pressure, exited in favor of Keith Foulke. Green wound up scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Wily Mo Pena got the Sox closer with a solo homer into the visitors' bullpen in right field.
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Yanks' rout of Sox in pivotal series isn't without precedent
By Mark Newman
On Sept. 7, 1978, there was hope for elusive peace in the Middle East as Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat were in secret meetings with President Jimmy Carter at Camp David. Pope Paul VI had just passed away and was succeeded by Pope John Paul I. Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, died on this day of a drug overdose. It was the age of disco and "Saturday Night Fever." Olivia Newton-John was singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You" in the smash-hit "Grease." And hopelessly devoted to the Boston Red Sox were their fans who could not have known that it would be more than another quarter-century before they would win it all.
This was the start of a four-game series at Fenway Park against the rival New York Yankees, and what happened that week at a much different time in America obviously is not forgotten now. With the Yankees completing a five-game sweep of the Red Sox on Monday at Fenway Park, there are widespread mentions of baseball's original "Boston Massacre," even "Son of Massacre" references.
What happened in 1978 always would remain part of the lore of The Rivalry, for better or for worse, depending on who was telling the story. Here is a look at what happened:
Sept. 7: The Red Sox had built a lead as high as 14 games in midsummer and appeared poised to dethrone their rivals, who had just won the previous World Series to end their own 15-year drought. But the gap in the American League East standings had been narrowed to just four games entering this series, due to a combination of Boston injuries and a hot streak by the World Series champs. Billy Martin had resigned, and now the Yankees were cruising under the low-key managerial style of Bob Lemon.
Boston had gone 25-24 since July 24. During that same time, the Yankees had gone 35-14. "We're not thinking of a split," Yankees outfielder Mickey Rivers said. "We're thinking of all four."
Assigned to stop the bleeding back home at Fenway was Boston starter Mike Torrez, who was looking for his 16th victory. He faced Catfish Hunter in the opener, and the tempo was set immediately. Torrez lasted one inning. The Yankees had a 5-0 lead after two innings, 7-0 after three, and 12-0 after four. The final score was 15-3. Willie Randolph -- these days managing the Mets with no such divisional drama -- drove in five of those runs by himself. He was one of three Yanks with three hits, along with Thurman Munson and Roy White. Ken Clay was the winner, in relief of Hunter.
Sept. 8: This game pitted two rookie starters -- Jim Wright for the Sox and Jim Beattie for the charging Bombers. The destruction on the field and the tension in the stands was much the same. The Yankees collected 17 more hits, and the Red Sox committed an unfathomable seven errors. New York won, 13-2, and now the 14-game deficit was down to just two tenuous games.
In two games, the Yankees had cranked out 28 runs to Boston's five, outhitting the Sox 38-14. Worst of all were the combined nine errors by the home team.
"Boston's got the best record in baseball," Yankees super scout Clyde King said. "I could understand if an expansion team fell apart like his. It can't go on like this."
Sept. 9: Red Sox manager Don Zimmer put his best pitcher out on the mound for the third game of the series. It was future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who had been 16-6 and had won his last nine decisions at Fenway. It was the rough equivalent of the 2006 Red Sox summoning Curt Schilling to stop the bleeding in this latest reprisal.
The Yankees, however, were able to counter in that third game with Ron Guidry. He was 20-2 heading into this start, mixing his fastball and slider in a practically untouchable way that season. Boston could not touch him; this one was 7-0, Yanks.
One game back.
Even Carlton Fisk, the Red Sox catcher, was asking the question: "How can a team get 30-something games over .500 in July and then in September see its pitching, hitting and fielding all fall apart at the same time?"
On the opposite side, Reggie Jackson had an explanation of his own: "This team is loaded with tough guys. This team is loaded with professionals."
Sept. 10: The finale was the only game that could be construed as close in some manner. Rookie Bobby Sprowl started for the Red Sox against Ed Figueroa. The Yanks built a 6-0 lead through four innings. They held on to win, 7-4, for Figueroa's 16th victory, leaving Fenway tied atop the AL East with an identical 86-56 record after one of the greatest comebacks during a Major League regular season.
It was billed as the "Boston Massacre," and when it was all over, the Yankees had accounted for 42 runs and 67 hits (58 of them singles) in just four days. Boston had managed just nine runs and 21 hits, to go along with a dozen errors. The Yankees won all four games by an average margin of over eight runs.
In the four games, Lou Piniella was 10-for-16 with five RBIs, White was 8-for-15, Randolph 8-for-16 with six RBIs, Munson 8-for-16 with three RBIs, and Rivers 5-for-13. A Yankees shortstop named Bucky Dent was 7-for-18 with seven RBIs.
Of course, he would save his best for later that fall. A week after the Boston Massacre, the Yankees took two of three from the Sox in the Bronx to pad a division lead. Boston heroically fought back and forced a one-game playoff, at which point Dent put himself into rivalry lore by hitting the homer at Fenway that sent the Yankees on their way toward an eventual repeat World Series championship.
Red Sox fans probably could do without the history lesson, presuming such pages to be closed after what happened in 2004. But after what has happened these past few days at Fenway, the story must be told again.
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