Touching 'em all

NEW YORK -- Rounding the bag, it occurred to Julio Lugo that something was missing. It wasn't the celebration, which was a little lacking, or the momentum, which was fine. It was just that he, somehow, missed first base. Oops.

He can be forgiven for the blunder. It had been 240 at-bats, more than a third of a season's worth, since his last home run. Or, really, his last two home runs. The last time Lugo sent a pitch out of the park, he hit two for the Devil Rays in the fifth inning July 22.

"It was such a long time," Lugo said with a laugh, after the Red Sox drubbed the Yankees, 11-4. "I forgot.

"I just wanted to make sure I touched first base. I just didn't want to let it slip. I didn't want to let it slip this time."

But there was something else he couldn't forget. Something that had come up in conversation with his father, Julio Lugo Sr., two days ago. He had 108 at-bats in The House That Ruth Built before the series. He had zero home runs.

"You ain't going to believe this, but we did talk about that yesterday," Lugo said. "I was talking about that with my father. I never hit a home run in Yankee Stadium."

Apparently prescience -- if not predictions -- run rampant through the Red Sox clubhouse these days, after Wily Mo Peña called his grand slam to beat the Orioles Thursday.

Called or not, Lugo's offensive tour de force led the Sox to a laugher, their fourth straight win over the Yankees this season, leaving their storied rivals in the basement of the American League East for another day.

It wasn't as if this was coming for Lugo. The shortstop's last five games had put him into an offensive funk. Hitless in his last 10 plate appearances (one walk) prior to last night, and only 2 for his last 19, Lugo's average dipped from .333 to .234. One night brought it back to .259.

And not only that, he had the longest home run drought on the Red Sox. Heck, Alex Gonzalez, the offensively challenged shortstop whose bat Lugo was signed to replace, has two homers this season.

"He had been scuffling the last week, for sure," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He did well. He's still got the energy all the time and everything, but it's nice to see him [hit], especially at the top of the order. We'll take contributions anywhere they come."

Just a triple shy of the cycle -- single to right in the third, homer to left in the sixth, double to left in the eighth -- Lugo grounded to shortstop to start the game. And he had a chance for that triple after Mariano Rivera left with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth. Lugo faced Mike Myers, but couldn't get anything to drive, instead taking a walk (his second of the night) and an RBI (his third of the evening).

Francona has said since Lugo was signed to a four-year, $36 million contract, one of the barometers of the team's performance would be Lugo's runs scored. If that is true -- and there's hardly anyone willing to disagree -- the Sox were in great position last night to beat the Yankees, given the three times he crossed the plate. (He was left on third in the eighth and ninth innings.)

Though, somehow, Francona never mentioned what the Sox could do if they could get multiple RBIs in a game from their leadoff hitter. Bonus, apparently. And he had two stolen bases -- one in the fifth, one in the eighth -- which gave him multiple swipes in two of the last four games. Not exactly a Red Sox-like feat. But they will take it.

They will take all of his contributions to a game and a rivalry that Lugo is just beginning to comprehend. Hearing about it is one thing. Hitting a home run to power the Sox over the Yankees in the Bronx?

That's another thing entirely.

"I didn't know it was going to be this intense," Lugo said. "Every game seems like a World Series game. I heard about it, but being here I know [what it's] about now. It's great. It's what baseball should be."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.