The Boston Red Sox opened the 2010 Major League Baseball season with a bang Sunday night after making a late-inning comeback against the New York Yankees.
The Yankees got off to a quick 2-0 lead when catcher Jorge Posada and center fielder Curtis Granderson hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning. Any speculation about how Granderson would fit into the Yankees powerhouse lineup stopped abruptly when he homered in his first at-bat and followed it by making a catch while slamming into the green monster.
However,Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia answered for the Red Sox. Youkilis hit a deep off-the-wall double off of C.C. Sabathia and eventually came in to score after a sacrifice fly by Adrian Beltre. Pitcher Josh Beckett continued to struggle and was pulled midway through the fifth inning. He allowed five runs and only recorded one strikeout.
Sabathia continued to cruise through the game allowing only the hit to Youkilis until the fifth inning, where he allowed three more hits and another earned run. The excited opening night crowd at Fenway was silent going into the sixth, with the score 5-2. After a Pedroia walk and Victor Martinez double to put men on second and third, Kevin Youkilis stepped into the batter’s box and took the form of a superhero. He tripled off the monster, driving in two runs and later scored on a Beltre single. The game was tied at 5 and the Red Sox bats were alive.
After struggling against Beckett, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez got his first hit, doubling to left field in the seventh. A ground out from Robinson Cano scored another Yankee run and a single from Posada added their last. Heading into the seventh the Red Sox were trailing 7-5.
Yankees pitcher Chan Ho Park stepped to the mound and allowed a quick single to Macro Scutaro. After striking out Jacoby Ellsbury, who finished the game hitless, Pedroia came to bat once again. He crushed a pitch from Park over the monster and tied the game at 7. Youkilis then doubled for the second time. The stage was set for David “Big Papi” Ortiz to hit in the go-ahead run for the Sox. However, he was walked and held hitless for the night. Instead, it was two wild pitches that resulted in Youkilis scoring the run.
Red Sox center fielder Mike Cameron added one more run in the bottom of the eight to make the score 9-7 and give Jonathan Papelbon the chance for the save.
Papelbon did just that. The win belonged to Red Sox relief pitcher Hideki Ojamia (1-0). The loss credited to Chan Ho Park (0-1), and the save to Papelbon (1)
The Red Sox will play the Yankees again on Tuesday night.
