Recap: Boston vs. NY Yankees
Sports Network | September 28, 2008
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Mike Mussina hurled six shutout innings to earn the win as New York downed Boston, 6-2, in the opener of a regular season- ending day/night doubleheader at Fenway Park.
It was the 20th victory of the season for Mussina, the first time the right- hander has reached the mark in his brilliant 18-year career. The 39-year-old had won 19 on two other occasions while pitching for the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 and 1996.
Mussina (20-9) allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out three for the Yankees, who have won nine of their past 10 games but had their run of 13-straight playoff appearances dashed earlier in the week. Xavier Nady had a three-run home run for New York.
Jacoby Ellsbury was 1-for-4 with an RBI single for the Red Sox, who have clinched the AL wild card and will travel to Anaheim to open the playoffs against the LA Angels next week.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3) surrendered three runs on four hits in four innings en route to the loss.
The Yankees jumped in front on Nady's three-run homer in the fourth. Matsuzaka issued consecutive one-out walks to Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez and, after Jason Giambi fanned, Nady went the opposite way and drove the ball over the wall in right.
The Red Sox finally found the scoreboard off the Yankees bullpen in the eighth. Jason Bay worked a walk off Joba Chamberlain and Mark Kotsay followed with a ground-rule double. Brian Bruney came on from there and fanned Jed Lowrie before pinch-hitter Chris Carter slapped an RBI grounder to second. Ellsbury followed with a run-scoring single off Damaso Marte to make it a one- run game.
Hoping to secure Mussina's 20th win, New York manager Joe Girardi went to Mariano Rivera for a four-out save and the star closer fanned Dustin Pedroia to get out of trouble.
The Yankees then gave Rivera three big insurance runs in the ninth. Robinson Cano and Cody Ransom opened things with consecutive singles off Jonathan Papelbon to put runners on the corners. Jose Molina followed with a sacrifice fly to right. Brett Gardner kept things going with a single up the middle before Johnny Damon walked to load the bases. Melky Cabrera then slapped an RBI groundout to third before Rodriguez capped the frame with an RBI infield single to make it a 6-2 game.
Rivera worked around a Ransom error in the ninth to nail things down and earn his 39th save.
The Yankees' Sidney Ponson faces off with Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the nightcap.
Mussina had been winless in his last eight starts at Fenway. He is now 21-17 lifetime against Boston in 57 starts...The Yankees are now 9-8 versus Boston this season.
