Other Sports

Yankees see road to recovery after topping Red Sox

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-24 19:39

NEW YORK, May 23 - The struggling New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Wednesday to take their three-game series 2-1 for what they hope is the start of their road to recovery.

Hideki Matsui smashed a two-run homer in the first inning, Doug Mientkiewicz homered deep to right in the fourth and Derek Jeter had three hits to pass Joe DiMaggio into fifth place on the Yankees' all-time hits list to back the strong pitching of Andy Pettitte.

The Yankees (21-24) moved to within 9.5 games of the American League East leading Red Sox (31-15) in winning three of their last four including the final game of their series against the National League-best New York Mets on Sunday.

Pettitte, who improved to 3-3, gave up one run on nine hits in seven innings. Red Sox starter Curt Schilling (4-2) was battered for six runs, five earned, as he gave up 12 hits in six innings of work.

"To bounce back today and do what we did, especially against Schilling was great," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose team fell to the Red Sox on Tuesday.

"Considering how we started this thing, losing the first two at Shea (Stadium) and then winning three of the next four that's a good comeback for us."

Jeter singled home Johnny Damon in the first to stretch his hit streak to 18 games and then scored on Matsui's shot that gave the Bronx Bombers a 3-0 lead and ignited the roaring crowd of 55,000 at Yankee Stadium.

He added another RBI single in the second as New York went on to build a 6-0 lead. He then tripled leading off the seventh to lift his career hits total to 2,216.

Jeter, who has only Bernie Williams, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig still in front of him on the Yankees' hit list, said that having to face the crosstown rival Mets and Red Sox in successive series roused the team.

"The atmosphere at Shea and here against Boston, you have to pick it up a little," said the Yankees shortstop and captain, who cautioned that the team has a long way to go.

"You got to do it a lot more than five games. We have to put together a good month or two."

Alex Rodriguez, who contributed a double to New York's 16-hit attack, said: "We have to take small bites. We understand we have an uphill battle. We just have to take care of ourselves. For the last few days at least, mission accomplished."

The Red Sox, still comfortably atop the standings, took the loss in stride.

"They're going to win some, we're going to win some and hopefully by the end of the year, we'll have won more," said Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis. "It's always going to be a hard-fought series."