The Great Escape

Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling locked in a great pitching duel. The game is close until a Yankees home run gives them the lead. Then it's up to the Yankees sure thing, Mariano Rivera, to close things out. But Mo is shaky. No this wasn't the 7th game of the 2001 World Series again. It was last night's white knuckler with the Boston Red Sox that the Yankees pulled out 4-3. The victory moved them back to within 4.5 of the AL East lead, and more importantly, kept them 2.5 games ahead of the Tigers for the Wild Card.

Clemens, with the aid of 2 cortisone shots, had a good fastball and a nasty slider to go with Mr. Splittee. Schilling, a mile or two slower than Clemens with his fastball, threw a low 70s curve ball to keep hitters off balance. Clemens departed after 6 in a 1-1 tie and it was still that score when the Yankees came to bat in the 8th.

Schilling (8-8) struck out Melky Cabrera to start the inning, but Doug Mientkiewicz stroked his 2nd single of the game and pinch-hitter Jason Giambi peppered the green monster with a shot that nearly cleared the top of the wall. Mientkiewicz raced to 3rd and Giambi moved into 2nd on the throw. With the infield in Johnny Damon hit a broken bat bouncer to 2nd that froze Mientkiewicz and was the 2nd out of the inning. That left it up to the Captain. Derek Jeter came into the game hitting better than .400 with runners in scoring position and 2 out, and he added to it. He ripped a hanging 2-2 slider from Schilling into the seats atop the green monster for a 3-run HR and a 4-1 Yankees lead. But the game was far from over.

Mike Lowell cut the lead in half with a solo home run off of Joba Chamberlain. It was the first home run and earned run allowed by Chamberlain (2-0), who was in his 2nd inning of work. Then came the 9th, which was not for the feint of heart.

Rivera walked Jason Varitek to start the inning, but retired Eric Hinske and Coco Crisp on ground outs, with Varitek moving around to 3rd. All seemed right. But then Julio Lugo hit a high fastball to the monster for a run scoring double. Rivera hit Jacoby Ellsbury with a pitch and then lost a long battle with Dustin Pedroia, walking the rookie to load the bases. For David Ortiz. With both Yankees and Red Sox fans holding their breath, Ortiz popped up to an awaiting Jeter to end the game. And we could all breath again.

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Roger Clemens allowed just 2 hits in his 6 innings of work, and 1 unearned run that reached when Johnny Damon dropped a fly ball.

The Yankees won the season series with the Red Sox, 10-8. They won 10 of the last 15 played.

photos courtesy of AP