Red Sox overcome Matsuzaka woes to beat Yankees

Boston Red Sox Jason Varitek (L) congratulates Boston Red Sox Manny Delcarmen after defeating the New York Yankees in their American League MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, April 13, 2008. (REUTERS/Adam Hunger)

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Red Sox survived a wild display by Daisuke Matsuzaka to beat the New York Yankees 8-5 and clinch the opening series between the American League rivals 2-1 on Sunday.

Matsuzaka (3-0) walked six batters in five innings but the Red Sox prevailed, scoring three runs in the first inning and four more in the third for a 7-1 lead.

Kevin Youkilis powered an 11-hit Boston attack, collecting two hits and driving in two runs.

"For us, it was good just to win this game," Youkilis told reporters. "We won the series, and that's our goal all the time."

Matsuzaka was tagged for five hits and four runs on the long night. He struck out two.

"It was cold and his command wasn't very good," Red Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters. "It was a struggle to get him through five."

Matsuzaka said through an interpreter: "I'm disappointed that I was only able to pitch like I did tonight. For the fact that we won, I have to thank my team mates. For me, it was a stressful performance from the outset."

But Yankees starter Phil Hughes (0-2) was even less effective, yielding six hits and seven runs in two-plus innings.

"I'm not getting in good counts, like my last outing," he told reporters. "That's the big thing that's got to change -- strike one. I wish I could pinpoint one thing that causes it. Maybe getting too excited and rushing out."

Despite the big deficit, the Yankees chipped away.

Aided by three hits, a walk and a wild pitch by Matsuzaka, New York scored three runs in the fourth to close to 7-4.

Jason Giambi's homer made it 7-5 in the eighth and the Yankees had runners on first and second before Javier Lopez relieved Mike Timlin.

Lopez got Johnny Damon to ground into a double-play and retired Robinson Cano to end the threat.

The arch-rivals play again on Wednesday, beginning a two-game series in New York.

(Writing by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Ed Osmond)