Yankees Outslug Red Sox 20-11

With football season upon us, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox apparently were in the mood to celebrate. After nine innings of this slugfest, the Yankees were able to tackle the Red Sox by a final count of 20-11.

Hideki Matsui was the big hitter for the Yankees on the night. In six at-bats, he blasted two homers – a three-run homer in the fifth and another three-run homer in the ninth. For the game, he finished with seven RBIs.

Both Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera had four hits for the Yankees. Andy Pettitte got the win despite giving up seven hits, two walks and five earned runs in five innings.

For the Red Sox, Brad Penny got the ball rolling in the wrong direction. To start the game, he gave up ten hits and eight earned runs in four innings. Rookie Michael Bowden entered the contest and gave up seven earned runs in two innings.

With the win, the Yankees now have a 7.5-game lead in the AL East. The good news for the Red Sox is that they still have a one game lead in the AL Wild Card race over the Texas Rangers.

Hideki Matsui - Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)