Jason Varitek hit a grand slam, Mike Lowell drove in six runs and the Boston Red Sox earned their biggest comeback victory against the Yankees since 1968, beating New York 16-11 Saturday for their ninth straight win.
Boston was trailing 6-0 before its offense got untracked with five runs in the fourth inning. Lowell hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Red Sox ahead for good, then added a three-run double in the eighth after the Yankees again walked Friday night's star Jason Bay in front of him.
Hideki Okajima (1-0) got two outs for the win, then Ramon Ramirez got out of the eighth after putting runners on second and third with one out. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and Jacoby Ellsbury hit his first homer of the year for Boston.
Robinson Cano homered twice and drove in five for the Yankees, and Jonathan Albaladejo (1-1) — the fourth of seven New York pitchers — took the loss.
In all, 12 pitchers threw 385 pitches in a 4 hour, 21 minute game and managed to retire the side in order just twice — once for each team. Yankees star Jorge Posada was called for catcher's interference and a passed ball in the same inning; Pedroia — the 2008 AL MVP — had a two-run error and got thrown out on a baserunning bungle.
Jason Bay hit a two-run double to give the Red Sox an 8-6 lead as the teams swapped leads four times in fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Johnny Damon tied it with a two-run homer. After David Ortiz's sacrifice fly put Boston on top, the Yankees took a 10-9 lead when Damon hit a hard grounder through Pedroia's legs at second base.
The Yankees intentionally walked Bay, whose two-run homer with two out in the ninth helped Boston win the night before, in the seventh to get to Lowell. The 2007 World Series MVP homered off Albaladejo inside the foul pole to make it 12-10.
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Albaladejo was charged with three runs and two hits with an intentional walk in 1 1-3 innings.
