NEW YORK -- It was Curt Schilling who dazzled after allowing three solo home runs in the first five innings to record his ninth win of the season.
It was Jason Varitek who slammed the game shut with a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
Red Sox will start lefthander Lester tomorrow vs. Rangers. C6
But where was last night's 9-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees really decided? Try an eight-pitch at-bat by No. 9 hitter Alex Gonzalez against Scott Proctor in the sixth.
Say what you want about Gonzalez (who is hitting .225) being the weak link in the Sox' lineup, but when you add what he does on defense to the at-bat that culminated in a double over Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez's glove to drive in the go-ahead run, Gonzalez's contributions left the personable shortstop with a smile.
``It changed the game," acknowledged Gonzalez. ``In a close game like that, you like to have those at-bats where you keep after [the pitcher] and see what happens. I know I can hit. Everybody wants to hit. When you can keep at it and you can get a double and drive in a run, that's what you're looking to do."
Gonzalez went 2 for 5, marking just his third multihit game against righthanded pitching this season, against which he's hitting .192. But seven of his 17 RBIs have tied the game or given the Sox the lead, and last night's was his fourth game-winning RBI.
Schilling had trailed, 3-1, but in notching his American League-leading ninth win, he made sure not to surrender the advantage after Gonzalez put the Sox up, 4-3. He retired the top of the Yankees' lineup in order in the bottom of the sixth, striking out Jason Giambi swinging to end the inning.
The win allowed the Sox to salvage one game of this abbreviated three-game series, moving them within a half-game of New York heading into this weekend's four-game set against the Texas Rangers at Fenway.
The only possible down note came in the seventh when Kevin Youkilis was hit off the left elbow by a Scott Erickson fastball after being hit on the same arm Sunday in Detroit. Youkilis said after the game he should be all right because he was able to apply ice when he exited in the eighth inning, replaced at first base by J.T. Snow.
Schilling went eight innings on a night when the Sox desperately needed their starter to go deep to preserve a bullpen that could be taxed over a weekend that includes a doubleheader and a rookie (Jon Lester) making his major league debut.
``I could have gone the whole game if Tito [Francona] wanted me to, but it seemed as though they wanted Jonathan Papelbon to get some work, and that always supersedes it," said Schilling. ``But I was prepared to go all the way in that one."
