« Rally time? | Main | It's over...finally »

Yanks take the lead

Before the game, sitting in the visitors' dugout surrounded by a phalanx of media, Yankees manager Joe Torre said the following: "No lead is safe. Especially in this ballpark." All year the Red Sox have relied on their stellar bullpen to keep their leads safe, but the two most reliable members of that crew have allowed it to slip away this evening.

Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon have combined to allow six runs so far in the eighth inning (and keep in mind there still are no outs), as the Yankees have taken an 8-7 lead here at Fenway.

Papelbon entered with runners on second and third to face Derek Jeter, who fisted a single to right, scoring Melky Cabrera. Bobby Abreu followed with a missle to center that scored Johnny Damon and Jeter. Abreu got the double, advancing to third on the throw to the plate, which was too late to get Jeter. Then white-hot Alex Rodriguez singled to center to bring home Abreu, giving the Bronx Bombers the late lead.

Hideki Okajima's ugly final line: 1/3 of an inning (plus four batters in the eighth), 3 hits, 4 runs earned, one walk, no strikeouts. Yipes.