Red Sox Inch Past Yankees

Baseball is a game of inches. We've heard it a thousand times and it was never truer than this afternoon. Marcus Thames' 7th inning drive came within inches of being a game tying 2-run blast. Instead, the Yankees ended up stranding the bases loaded and the Boston Red Sox went on to a 2-1 win in the series finale.

Thames followed Jorge Posada's lead off single with a fly to right-center that hit the very top of the wall and bounced back into play for a double. Red Sox starter Jon Lester then hit Austin Kearns to load the bases. But that's where all the good came to an end. Lester struck out Curtis Granderson and Daniel Bard came on to blow away Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher to escape the threat.

Phil Hughes struggled in the early going, throwing 57 pitches in the 1st two innings alone, but settled down thereafter. Bill Hall gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning with an RBI single and J.D. Drew added an RBI ground out later in the frame.

Lester was masterful and held the Yankees hitless until Kearns' single with one out in the 5th. The Yankees finally got on the board in the 8th when Mark Teixeira continued his hot second half with a deep blast off of Daniel Bard. to halve the lead. But the Yankees left two more aboard in the inning when Bard retired pinch-hitter Lance Berkman on a pop up and closer Jonathan Papelbon got Kearns on an inning ending ground out. Papelbon then struck out Swisher and Teixeira with Jeter representing the tying run at 2nd base in the 9th.

Notes

Teams continue to steal on the Yankees pitchers and catcher Jorge Posada. The Red Sox stole six bases, including a franchise tying four by Jacoby Ellsbury.