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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- One mistake dearly cost Orlando Hernandez. Jason
Varitek and the Boston bullpen made sure of it.
|  | | Carl Everett waits to greet Boston teammate Jason Varitek after scoring on Varitek's sixth inning, two-run homer. |
Varitek homered into the upper deck off Hernandez and four Red
Sox relievers shut down the New York Yankees on one hit for 6 2-3
innings for a 5-3 win Tuesday night.
"A lot of different people contributed," Red Sox manager Jimy
Williams said.
Carl Everett delivered a triple, double and single as the Red
Sox moved into a virtual first-place tie with the Yankees in the AL
East. Boston has won eight of its last nine regular-season games
against New York.
With the score tied at 3, Everett opened the sixth inning with a
grounder up the middle that hit the second-base bag, and he hustled
for a double.
Hernandez retired the next two batters and, with Varitek at the
plate and ninth-place hitter Wilton Veras on deck, pitching coach
Mel Stottlemyre went to the mound.
"He just gave him a choice of who to pitch to," Yankees
manager Joe Torre said. "There's a certain advantage to pitching
to a hitter with a base open."
A calm crowd of 52,142 came to life as Hernandez got two strikes
on Varitek. But after taking a close, 2-2 breaking ball, Varitek
teed off for a two-run homer deep into the upper deck in right
field for a 5-3 lead.
Varitek had gone 105 at-bats since April 26 without a home run.
"He just happened to leave a ball out over the plate," Varitek
said. "It's been a long time. It's been a frustrating time for me
hitting."
Hernandez (6-5) was the MVP of the AL championship series last
October with two sharp starts against the Red Sox. This time, they
tagged him for nine hits in 6 2-3 innings.
"I didn't realize it was a mistake then. But later I realized
it," Hernandez, through an interpreter, said of the pitch to
Varitek. "The objective was not to give him anything good to
hit."
Before the game, most of the buzz at Yankee Stadium was about
Sammy Sosa. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are interested in trading
for the Chicago slugger, and the Cubs had a scout in the stands.
A sellout is expected Wednesday afternoon when Pedro Martinez
faces Roger Clemens in a rematch of their classic duel May 28.
Martinez won 2-0 that night, pitching a four-hitter to best
Clemens' 13 strikeouts.
Boston starter Brian Rose lasted only 2 1-3 innings, and left
with the bases loaded and the score tied at 3.
Reliever Hipolito Pichardo got Shane Spencer to ground into an
inning-ending double play, and the Yankees never got a runner past
second base the rest of the way.
Pichardo (1-0) pitched 2 2-3 hitless innings for his first major
league win since Aug. 20, 1998, with Kansas City against Boston.
Rich Garces worked two scoreless innings, Rheal Cormier pitched
a perfect eighth and Derek Lowe closed for his 15th save.
"Our job was just to maintain the game, which we did," Garces
said. "That's what we're supposed to do."
Garces and the rest of the Red Sox relievers are thinking they
might get an easier day Wednesday.
"When Pedro is pitching, we just sit out there and watch the
game," he said.
Veras hit an RBI single in the Boston second and Everett's RBI
triple highlighted a two-run third.
Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams doubled in the Yankees first.
Rose made an error, dropping a double-play relay that let New York
score twice in the third.
Game notes
With a threat of rain, the tarp was on the field before the
game and there was no batting practice. The teams were washed out
Monday night. ... Yankees 2B Chuck Knoblauch started after missing
five games because of a sore left forearm. He struck out looking in
his first two at-bats, but made several nice plays in the field.
... The last Boston player to hit for the cycle was John Valentin
in 1996.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Thank you, rain: Pedro vs. Rocket rematch on tap
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 4
Cleveland 3
Detroit 16
Toronto 3
Boston 5
NY Yankees 3
Anaheim 5
Tampa Bay 3
Baltimore 3
Texas 2
Seattle 7
Kansas City 0
Oakland 6
Minnesota 5
St. Louis 8
San Diego 3
Pittsburgh 7
Atlanta 6
Philadelphia 4
Florida 3
Chicago Cubs 4
NY Mets 3
Montreal 9
Milwaukee 4
Houston 6
Colorado 3
Los Angeles 6
Arizona 1
San Francisco 3
Cincinnati 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jason Varitek applauds the bullpen for shutting down the Yanks.
wav: 77 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
According to Yankees skipper Joe Torre, it's still too early to panic.
wav: 134 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Peter Gammons sees Jason Varitek as an important part of the Red Sox.
wav: 229 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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