"That's probably the best swing he's taken," manager Terry Francona said. "I thought the other day in Detroit, he hit a ball that was an out to center field, similar swing. And again on a night when the ball's not going to carry, especially to center field, he hit it through whatever that stuff was. That was a good swing.
"I hope he gets 40 curtain calls."
It was all that Josh Beckett and the Red Sox would need. Against A.J. Burnett, they extended their streak to six straight wins against the Yankees - every game the teams have played in 2009. And with the 7-0 win, the Sox also tied the Yankees for first place in the American League East.
The Yankees managed just two hits in front of a quite happy (if chilled) crowd of 37,883. Give an assist on the first of those hits - by Robinson Cano in the fourth, the only hit off Beckett - to the weather. And the grounds crew, if you ask Dustin Pedroia.
"I'm chalking that one up to our grounds crew guy dumping the tarp right behind second base," Pedroia said, laughing. "I couldn't really get a grip on the ball. Everything was wet. I got to it, and I slid about 8 feet. That didn't really help me out."
Francona said, "On a dry day, he makes that play."
Beckett would not allow another hit over his six innings and 93 pitches, continuing a stretch in which the ace has been just that. He outdueled his former Marlins teammate, outwitted the Yankees hitters, and recorded his fifth straight outstanding start.
He came into the game having allowed only three earned runs in his last four starts. He allowed no runs and just that single hit, striking out eight, and walking only two last night.
"Early in the game, he used all his pitches and we scored and then that allowed him to find his two-seamer," said Francona. "Early on that one, the front-door to lefties, wasn't there real consistently. But he used all his pitches and didn't let them sit on anything. He stayed out of the middle. Then as we got into about the third or fourth inning, he found that two-seamer. Really did a good job."
