Red Sox complete rainy sweep of Yankees

[May 06, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox are doing a lot better at the new Yankee Stadium than the home team.

Jason Bay hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning against Joba Chamberlain, and the Red Sox beat New York 7-3 Tuesday night for a rainy two-game sweep in the first trip to their rivals' $1.5 billion ballpark.

Boston improved to 5-0 against New York for the first time since 1985 and has outscored the Yankees 38-23. In 1923, the Red Sox lost their first five games at the original Yankee Stadium. New York is 6-5 overall at its new home following three straight losses.

Chamberlain (1-1) allowed hits to his first five batters, then recovered to strike out a career-high 12 in 5 2-3 innings, including nine looking. But it was too late.

Josh Beckett (3-2) bounced back from a pair of poor outings and allowed his only runs on Johnny Damon's three-run homer in the third.

Before the game, the Yankees put All-Star catcher Jorge Posada on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Boston was without first baseman Kevin Youkilis (tight left side) and lost center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a tight right hamstring in the fourth inning.

Many of the most expensive seats again were empty. Just 54 of the 98 first-row Legends Suite seats costing $2,500 were occupied in the first inning, and three of the first nine rows behind the plate were mostly vacant. Later, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, wearing a Yankees jacket, sat just to the third-base side of the plate in one of those front-row seats.

Rain began falling when Jose Veras relieved Chamberlain in the sixth, and many of the fans in the Legends Suite cleared out into the three exclusive restaurants and lounges.

Pitching a day after his mother was arrested in Nebraska on suspicion of selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in February, Chamberlain allowed four runs and six hits, becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to strike out 12 in 5 2-3 innings or less. The previous one was Philadelphia's Cole Hamels in 5 1-3 innings against Atlanta on July 24, 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Chamberlain also hit Bay on the side with a pitch in the fifth.

The right-hander earned a suspension after throwing consecutive 98-99 mph pitches over Youkilis' head in August 2007, then was warned by an umpire last July when threw a high, inside pitch that sent Youkilis to the ground as the ball ricocheted off his bat.

Beckett allowed 10 hits in six-plus innings, lowering his ERA from 7.22 to 6.75. Hideki Okajima followed with six straight outs.

Singles by Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz put Boston ahead, and Bay homered into the left-field seats, the 37th homer in 11 games at Yankee Stadium. Bay is 10-for-18 (.556) with three homers and 10 RBIs against the Yankees this season.

Mike Lowell singled before J.D. Drew flied out and Jeff Bailey grounded into a double play.

After Damon's sixth homer pulled the Yankees within a run, Melky Cabrera doubled to right in the fourth but was thrown out stretching at third by Pedroia on a relay from Drew. Cabrera's second double and third hit put runners on second and third in the sixth, but Beckett struck out Ramiro Pena and retired Jose Molina on a groundout.

Jason Varitek hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Jonathan Albaladejo, who gave up an RBI single to Nick Green. An error by Pena at third base made both runs unearned.

Notes: The record of 40 homers in the first 11 games at a big league park was set at Houston's Enron Field in 2000. ... In a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket against Toledo, Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed two hits in 2 2-3 scoreless innings. He struck out five, walked two and threw 29 of 47 pitches for strikes. He has been on the 15-day DL since April 15 because of a mild right shoulder strain. ... Chamberlain struck out nine three times, including last July 25 at Fenway Park. He became the first Yankees pitcher to strike out 12 since Mike Mussina against Seattle on May 7, 2003.

[Associated Press; By RONALD BLUM]

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