European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 242007 stars and stripes Page 35 forgone conclusion Home run barrage in third gives sox sweep for near record crowd by Howard Uiman the associated press Boston it took the Boston red sox 10 pitches to hit four straight homers and three Days to Complete a sweep of the new Yor Yankees in another thrilling chapter in a Rich rivalry the red sox tied a major league record with the Home run Streak and got their third consecutive comeback Victory with a 76 Victory sunday night despite Daisuke Matsuzaka shaky debut against the Yankees it certainly brought some life Back into the Ballpark in a hurry red sox manager Terry Franco a said of the third inning Hom ers off Rookie Chase Wright that gave Boston a 43 Lead Mike Lowell hit one of those homers then connected for a godhead three run shot in the seventh i Haven been part of any thing like that not even in Little league Lowell said the dug out was going crazy it was really a Cool feeling second baseman Dustin Pedroia made a diving catch to preserve the Lead in the eighth in Ning and Jonathan Papelbon re tired Alex Rodriguez on a Gam ending grounder with a run Ner on finishing Bostons first sweep of new York in Fenway Park since 1990 it Speaks to were a Good team Lowell said i dont think it Means anything for the next five months the sweep was a bit of revenge for the red sox last August the Yankees swept a five game series at Fenway to take control of the Al East race this time firs place Boston moved four games ahead of the third place Yankees we didst play Well and we lost three games shortstop Derek Jeter said but weve got 1471eft Manny Ramirez cd Drew Lowell and Jason Varitek connected against Wright making his Sec Ond major league Start i tried to stay Calm and Cool Wright said i was just thinking attack the next hitter then with the Yankees leading 54 in the seventh Lowells Homer off Scott Proctor 01 just cleared the Green monster in left Field for a 75 Lead if s a concern Yankees Man Ager Joe Torre said of his relievers who squandered a four run Lead in fridays 76 loss we had the first game in hand and we let it get away from us Jeter hit his first Home run of the season for new York to tie it 44 in the fifth after Jason Giambi drove in three runs but the Yankees bullpen failed even with starter Andy Pettitte making his second re Lief appearance of the year Matsuzaka 22 had his worst Outing in four big league starts Al lowing six runs in seven plus innings he finally got some Offen Sive support though in his Previ Ous two starts the red sox to tales just one run Elise Amendola Ramirez and Charles Krupa Boston red sox slugger Manny Ramirez above watches his Home run off new York Yankees Pitcher Chase Wright right in the third inning sunday in Boston Wright gave up four straight homers in the inning theres no Way i can be Satis fied he said through a translator what i wanted most of All was to hold that Lead and i do that the right hander left after giving up a Lea diff single in the eighth to Rodriguez who has hit safely in All 17 games this season Rodriguez scored on a Force play at second but Pedroia Madea backhand grab on a liner by Pinch bitter Josh Phelps strand ing Robinson Cano at third i kind of cheated up the mid dle and he hit it really hard Pedroia said any time you sweep the Yankees youre doing something right Papelbon pitched the ninth for his sixth save in As Many chances and second in two Days Lowells third Homer of the sea son followed a single by Ramirez and a double by Drew chasing Proctor after he failed to retire a Batter the red sox who have won five straight Overall batted 363 in the series against new Yorks injun a depleted pitching staff the crowd of 36905 was the second largest at Fenway since world War h though the red sox have added seating capacity Annu ally the last several years the at Tendance last june 10 against Texas was 36920 the third inning outburst made the red sox the fifth team in major league history to hit four homers in a Row the los Angeles dodgers did it on sept 18 last sea son against san Diego Drew hit the second of those four homers As Well it was the second Homer of the season for All four Boston batters Wright became the second big league Pitcher to allow four consecutive homers the other was Paul Foytack of the los Angeles Angels on july 31 1963 in the sixth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against Cleveland one of those homers was hit by Tito Francona the father of cur rent red sox manager Terry fran Cona who turned 48 on sunday baseballs Hatfiel Mccoy feud has Long Way to run after decades of study scientists revealed nearly three weeks ago that a disease May help explain the Long running feud be tween the hat Fields and Mccoy had those same researchers Aske Boston red sox fans could have suggested something much simpler envy sunday nights extravaganza Between the red sox and the new York Yankees marked the 1999th time the teams met in the regular season since 1903 and rarely has it produced a More satisfying weekend in Boston the red sox came from behind to win All three games sweeping a be Jim Litke lies in Fen Way for the first time since 1990 they hit four straight Home runs in the Span of 10 pitches in the third in Ning of the last one a feat thais Only been accomplished five times in major league history by the end of that sequence it was harder to Tell Qader now f or mothers pay Bisp Luscom whether the better party was Tak ing place in the red sox dugout or the stands jammed with a crowd of 36905 the second arg est at Fenway since world War n for All that though new York left town still holding a 179game Lead in the regular season tally not to mention 26 world series titles to Bostons Hal dozen with five More series scheduled be tween the division rivals even be fore a possible playoff matchup red sox third baseman Mike Low Ell cautioned the locals not to get too excited youve got to keep it in perspective the hero of sunday nights Tugo War said ifs april besides the red sox had just about everything in their favor manager Terry Franconis rotation happened to align just perfectly for the series with big three starters Curt Schilling Josh Beckett and Daisuke mat suzaka prepared to give the Yan Kees a preview of what to expect should the teams meet in octo Ber we didst Man Euver to have it work out this Way Francona said As the weekend began but were not going to apologize for having those three going on the other hand Yankees manager Joe Torre should have apologized for throwing Jeff Karstens fresh off the disabled list and with Only one rehab Start on saturday then coming Back with Chase Wright making just his second major league Start Ever on sunday but it want like he had a Choice thanks to a Vari Ety of aches and pains the top of his rotation Chinming Wang Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano want available for anything More strenuous than playing catch during a mid inning interview on to Torre bravely mumbled something about playing with the team you have rather than the one you wish you had the Yankees still have the largest pay Roll in baseball million with Boston next at s1435 million and four of the top seven names on the salary list and if the Guy at the very top Alex Rodriguez want having one of the most productive months in history general manager Brian Cash Man might have his Check Book out already the last time the teams met in Boston the Yankees swept a five game series last August that effectively locked up the Ameri can league East title Karstens still haunt thrown a pitch in the major leagues and Wright had yet to make a Start above class a Matsuzaka meanwhile was still in Japan not yet the Central figure in a bidding War that would eventually Cost the red sox million to lure him to bos ton he gave up six runs in seven plus innings but he got a lot More support than in his two previous starts and had the Good sense to say about his Good for tune theres no Way i can be satisfied once the Buzz from the week end quiets Down red sox fans would be Wise to take those words to heart they caught the Yan Kees As shorthanded As there Likely to be the rest of the Way new yorkers like to joke that the rivalry Between the towns resembles that Between a Hammer and a Nail and thorough As the beating was Over the weekend there was nothing to indicate the Yankees plan on being on the receiving end for Long we didst play Well and we lost three games Yankees Cap Tain Derek Jeter said but weve got 147 Jim Litke is a National sports columnist for the associated press write to him at
