Nick Johnson to score the tiebreaking run after a costly error by
shortstop Marco Scutaro loaded the bases, and the New York Yankees beat
the Boston Red Sox 6-4 Tuesday night.
Scutaro, part of Boston's offseason
emphasis on improving its run prevention, fielded Derek Jeter's routine
grounder with two outs in the eighth. But his throw went in the dirt and
off first baseman Kevin Youkilis' glove. Then Okajima (1-1) walked
Johnson, scoring Jorge Posada and making the score 5-4.
Robinson Cano added his first homer of
the year in the ninth.
Alfredo Aceves (1-0) pitched two
hitless innings and Mariano Rivera got his first save of the year and
527th of his career, most in AL history.
Rivera's appearance earned the Yankees
a unique distinction — the only team in the history of major league
baseball, the NFL, NBA and NHL with three players who played together in
16 consecutive seasons. Posada and Jeter are the others.
Posada began the eighth with a
ground-rule double that tailed away from right fielder J.D. Drew. But he
stayed at second when Brett Gardner hit a single to short left field
with one out. Curtis Granderson flied out. Then Jeter hit a grounder to
Scutaro, one of three free agents signed by Boston to improve its
defense.
But his throw bounced just in front of
Youkilis, who snared it out of the air after Jeter had crossed first
base.
Okajima, the winner of Boston's 9-7
opening night victory Sunday over New York, then walked Johnson on a 3-1
count. Scott Atchison relieved Okajima and retired Mark Teixeira on a
fly out.
Starters A.J. Burnett for New York and
Jon Lester for Boston each had rough outings, allowing four runs in
five innings.
For Burnett, it was more trouble at
Fenway Park where he went 0-2 with an 8.85 ERA in four starts last year.
The first time he pitched there in 2009, he allowed eight runs in five
innings in Boston's 16-11 win.
Lester pitched Boston's second game
for the third straight year and struggled each time. He lost 5-1 to
Oakland in 2008 in Tokyo and 7-2 to Tampa Bay last year. He gave up a
combined nine runs in nine innings. In fact, he's had a tough time in
March and April throughout his career, going 2-4 with a 4.78 ERA in 12
starts before Tuesday.
Boston took a 1-0 lead in the first
after Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single, stole second and continued
to third when Posada's throw went into center field for an error.
Youkilis, who drove in two runs in Boston's 9-7 opening night win on
Sunday, then hit a sacrifice fly.
New York tied it in the second on a
single by Cano, a walk to Posada and an RBI double by Nick Swisher.
Victor Martinez gave the Red Sox a
3-1 lead in the third with his first homer of the year, a two-run shot
after Ellsbury's double.
Then the Yankees jumped in front 4-3
with three runs in the fifth after loading the bases with no outs when
Granderson and Jeter singled and Johnson was hit by a pitch. The runs
scored when Teixeira grounded into a forceout at second, Alex Rodriguez
doubled and Cano hit a sacrifice fly.
Notes
Righty batter Marcus Thames
started in left field for New York in place of lefty Gardner because
left-hander Lester started for Boston. Gardner pinch hit for Thames in
the sixth when right-hander Manny Delcarmen replaced Lester. … Red Sox
No. 5 starter Clay Buchholz plans to throw a simulated game Wednesday.
With two days off in the first five of the season, Boston won't use him
until Sunday in Kansas City. … The ceremonial first pitch was thrown
by Hannah Kearney of Norwich, Vt., who got the first gold medal for the
United States at the Vancouver Olympics by winning the women's moguls.
During the opening ceremonies, she wore a Jacoby Ellsbury T-shirt under
her Olympic uniform. Ellsbury caught her pitch Tuesday.