Yankees Tickets

Then he drilled a pitch from Tazawa into left and immediately raised his hands and started jogging toward first.

The ball cleared the wall and fell into the left-center bullpen and Rodriguez joined his delirious teammates in celebrating another huge win. The Yankees would take a 4 1/2-game lead over Boston while drilling a shot into the gut of the Red Sox, beating them in a game that began with A.J. Burnett(notes) dueling Sox aceJosh Beckett(notes) for seven-plus innings.

“I have never seen a game go that long with no runs being scored,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter(notes) said. “You figure this game’s never going to end.”

Every time it seemed it might, someone would work out of a jam or make a play.

Finally, Rodriguez ended what he called “a beautifully pitched game on both sides.”

Yankees 2, Red Sox 0: Alex Rodriguez homered in the 15th inning to break a scoreless tie and end a classic contest as well as his career-high home-run drought. Rodriguez hadn’t homered in 72 at-bats and the teams used 14 pitchers to keep each other from scoring for most of the five hour, 33 minute game. Starters A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett dueled through the first seven-plus innings. The Yankees had a chance at the win in the 14th but Boston outfielderJ.D. Drew(notes) made a running catch to thwart the threat. Finally, Rodriguez won it with a homer into the left-center bullpen after six Yankees relievers held Boston to just four hits.

NOTES, QUOTES

• RHP A.J. Burnett pitched what he called his best game as a Yankee and that standard has become more impressive over the last two months. Burnett pitched 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball in the Yankees’ 2-0 win over Boston on Friday night, nearly two months after the Red Sox rocked him for five runs in 2 2/3 innings. Then, Burnett vowed he would improve and has since posted a 6-2 record with a 2.32 ERA in his subsequent 10 starts. But Friday’s was the most impressive. “This is probably as good as he’s pitched all year,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “That team over there can hit and he shut them down.”

• C Jorge Posada(notes) rebounded from an odd base-running error early in Thursday night’s win over Boston and finished the game by going 3-for-5 and hitting a big homer that keyed the Yankees’ eight-run fourth inning. Posada was thrown out at the plate in the second inning after failing to slide, but more than made up for the miscue with his offensive barrage.

By The Numbers: 28—Hits high-priced addition CC Sabathia(notes) had allowed in his last three starts through Aug. 2.

Quote To Note: “I think we were all running with him.”—SS Derek Jeter on himself and his teammates, who cheered as CF Melky Cabrera(notes) tripled in the ninth inning on Aug. 2 to hit for the cycle.

ROSTER REPORT

• 3B Alex Rodriguez ended a career-long homer drought along with a scoreless game that became a classic. In the process, Rodriguez not only led the Yankees to a thrilling 2-0 win over Boston in the 15th inning Friday night, he tied Harmon Killebrew for ninth place on the all-time home run list with 573. “I just got a good pitch to hit and hit it good,” Rodriguez said after receiving the traditional cream pie in the face after the game.

• RHP Alfredo Aceves(notes) didn’t show any signs of the shoulder fatigue that’s plagued him recently as he threw three scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 2-0, 15-inning win over the Red Sox on Friday night. Aceves followedMariano Rivera(notes) and handled the Sox in the 10th, l1th and 12th innings. “I felt good,” Aceves said after the game. “I felt pretty good.”

• RHP Brian Bruney(notes) took a giant step toward winning back manager Joe Girardi’s confidence, pitching two crucial scoreless innings in the club’s 2-0 win in 15 innings over Boston on Friday night. Bruney, who lost his eighth-inning setup role earlier in the season and has been buried recently due to poor performances, pitched the 13th and 14th innings and didn’t allow a hit while striking out two.

• IF/OF Ramiro Pena(notes) was called up from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) as the Yankees finally felt comfortable enough with their bullpen rest to make the anticipated move. He took the roster spot of RHPAnthony Claggett(notes), who was sent down. Pena, who’s an excellent defensive infielder, impressed the Yankees during his time with the club earlier this season and was instructed to work on learning the outfield upon his demotion so he could be used later as a super sub. Ironically, the Yankees may have picked the wrong day for the move as they played a 15-inning classic and used six pitchers in Friday night’s 2-0 win over Boston.

Medical Watch:

CF Brett Gardner(notes) (broken left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list July 26.

LHP Damaso Marte(notes) (left shoulder soreness) went on the 15-day disabled list May 3. He began a minor league rehab assignment July 16.

RHP Chien-Ming Wang(notes) (right shoulder strain and bursitis) went on the 15-day disabled list July 5. He had season-ending surgery July 29.

OF Xavier Nady(notes) (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 15. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 24, but he experienced a setback June 25. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery July 8.