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Lowell leads Red Sox past Yankees

Jun 3, 2007 - 5:03 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Mike Lowell put a hurting on the New York Yankees on Saturday.

Lowell was at the center of several physical plays on the bases while homering and driving in three runs as the Boston Red Sox came from behind to beat the Yankees, 11-6.

Dustin Pedroia added three hits as the Red Sox came back to even the weekend series between the archrivals.

In Boston's breakout five-run seventh that provided a 10-6 lead, Lowell beat out a run-scoring fielder's choice. He collided with first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, knocking the first baseman to the ground when Lowell's left leg collided with the back of his head.

Mientkiewicz, who regained conscientiousness, lay on the ground for several minutes before being carted off.

"It is frightening," Yankee manager Joe Torre said. "He is trying to catch the ball and it was an ugly play to start with and we got the ground ball and (Robinson Cano) gave (Derek) Jeter sort of an unusual (throw) to handle and he just got rid of it quickly. You could see Dougie sort of backing in to try and get a good hop."

"Doug's a guy I hang out with sometimes in the offseason," Lowell said. "I know him from growing up in Florida. I just hope he's OK."

The tables were turned Saturday for both Lowell and the Red Sox, who lost the series opener on Friday. Lowell took a 94 miles-per-hour fastball off the left hand during the loss but returned to the lineup Saturday with a modified toe-guard on his hand.

"I tested it out in the cage before going out," Lowell said. "It's still a little sore but it's good enough. It felt OK. Our trainers devised a little patch and actually a Marlins doctors said I should have done it a while ago just because I broke my hand in '03 and I haven't found anything else comfortable.

"In about 20 minutes, we found something that's pretty good, the end of a toe-guard. It's light and doesn't affect my swing so I just might use it all year."

Hideki Okajima (1-0) recorded the final out of the seventh and pitched a perfect eighth to earn his first win in his first decision with the Red Sox.

"It was like a football game," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "With the rain delay and the national broadcast, and us playing the Yankees, I think everybody leaves the game just mentally and physically exhausted, the coaches, the players, the umpires. Just a lot of hard baseball.

Scott Proctor (0-3) took the loss, allowing five runs but only two earned in a seventh inning that featured two errors by Jeter.

"We had an ugly seventh inning," Torre said. "Without question, we just couldn't close the deal and there were some defensive plays that we didn't make. You give any club an extra out and it is dangerous. You give this club extra outs and it is suicide. That's basically was happened."

The Yankees struck first with a two-out solo homer by Melky Cabrera to right field off Red Sox starter Curt Schilling in the second.

Both Schilling and New York starter Mike Mussina seemed to fatigue after a 29-minute rain delay in the fourth inning.

Mussina's problems actually began moments before the rain, when he walked David Ortiz and then surrendered a double to Manny Ramirez, moving Ortiz to third. Following the delay, Mussina walked Youkilis. Lowell followed with a run-scoring single, his first RBI of the day that gave a Boston a 2-1 lead.

Jason Varitek followed with a run-scoring double play that Lowell attempted to break up by running into Cano, who was blocking the base path.

"He was all over the place," Francona said. "The play at second, I bet you Cano was off-balance, and again, he was just trying to do what you need to do, nothing malicious there. And then the play with Dougie at first, that looked like he tried to somehow not hit him. That was almost inevitable the way it was two bodies in the way of each other."

"I've never had a problem with him before," Cano said. "I don't think it's a fair play. He threw his elbow at me."

Torre saw the play differently than his second baseman.

"(Lowell) deked him a little," he said. "If you're in the line, you're fair game. There was nothing dirty, just hard baseball."

"I don't see why," Lowell said, when asked if it were a dirty play. "It's a clean play. They taught me how to do it. No, I'm not worried. I've been hit in the hand with 98 (mph fastball) last night was 94. I'm not that good looking so if I get hit again, I'm not going to do anything."

Schilling was undone by a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by Jorge Posada's three-run homer to right on a split-finger fastball that provided the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Schilling allowed four runs and nine hits in his five-plus innings, walking one and striking out a season-low two.

After the Yankees claimed a 5-3 lead, Lowell struck another blow in the sixth, hitting the first of back-to-back homers off Mussina to tie the game. Jason Varitek followed to forge the tie.

Kevin Youkilis went hitless in two at-bats with three walks, bringing an end to his career-high 23-game hitting streak. The Yankees fell 13-1/2 games behind while the Red Sox moved back to 20 games over .500 at a major league-best 37-17.