The ugly start may not be behind them just yet, but on Sunday the Boston Red Sox took a big step toward recovery, blanking the New York Yankees 4-0 to win their first series of the year.
Yankees Vs. Red Sox: Josh Beckett Brilliant, Pitches Boston To Series Win
This was the Josh Beckett show from the get-go. Beckett threw 103 pitches over eight shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out ten. He whiffed Jorge Posada all three times they met, and the Yankees didn't get a baserunner after the fourth inning. They did get a pair in both the third and fourth, but Beckett managed to keep them at bay, lowering his ERA to 2.08 before turning things over to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.
Meanwhile, Beckett got all the support he'd need in the third, when a Mike Cameron infield single scored Dustin Pedroia. Marco Scutaro would chip in with a two-run double in the seventh, and David Ortiz doubled home another run in the eighth to put the contest well out of reach.
For the Yankees, CC Sabathia threw a mind-boggling 118 pitches over just 5-2/3 innings, allowing just one run despite allowing 14 Red Sox baserunners. Robinson Cano and Eric Chavez had the Yankees' only hits - both singles - while Pedroia had three for the Red Sox, and Ortiz and Scutaro two apiece. Given all that, this one shouldn't have ended up as close as it did.
For more on the Yankees and Red Sox, please check out team blogs Pinstripe Alley and Over The Monster.
See More:
