BOSTON -- The New York Yankees had to work extra long to extend their lead in the AL East.
The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 14-11 to complete a sweep of Friday's day-night doubleheader and give New York a season-high 3½-game lead in the division. At four hours, 45 minutes, the nightcap was the longest nine-inning game in major league history, and it came on top of a 3:55 afternoon contest.
"We kept looking up and it kept being the fourth inning. It was nuts," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "I'm proud of it, especially in this ballpark, where every game seems like it's the longest game in history."
The teams combined for 41 runs and 61 hits. Twenty pitchers -- that's counting Mike Myers and Scott Proctor twice - threw 783 pitches. In all, the teams played 8:40 minutes of baseball, from Jason M. Johnson's first pitch at 1:10 p.m. until Mariano Rivera covered first to retire Wily Mo Pena at 12:52 a.m.
"I don't even remember half of it," said Derek Jeter, who hit a bases-clearing double in a seven-run seventh inning to give New York an 11-10 lead.
"It feels great," Jeter said sarcastically, "especially when we have another one in a few hours."
Johnny Damon had six of New York's 34 hits on the day, including a pair of two-run homers. Bobby Abreu had four hits in the early game, then added two more in the sequel as the Yankees guaranteed that they will leave town after the five-game series with the division lead.
"It was a long, frustrating day," said Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta, who had three doubles in the first game and went 3-for-6 with four RBI in the second for Boston, which has lost nine of 13. "We have our work cut out for us in this series."
The night game surpassed the 4:27 it took the Dodgers and Giants to play on Oct. 5, 2001. Because the park was cleared between games, the Elias Sports Bureau does not count it as a doubleheader. The longest doubleheader, between the Rangers and White Sox on May 24, 1995, took 7:39.
Jeter had three hits in the opener but was hitless in the second until lining one down the right-field line against Mike Timlin (5-3) to give New York the lead for good. Mike Myers (1-0) got just two outs -- David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- but had the good fortune of being in the game when the Yankees broke out.
Ortiz hit his major league-leading 43rd homer in the ninth to cut the deficit to three runs against Rivera. Alex Rodriguez then botched Ramirez's grounder for his 22nd error, tied for the major league lead.
Boston trailed 5-1 and 7-5 in the night game before taking a 10-7 lead in the fifth. But the Yankees sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh against Craig Hansen and Timlin.
Timlin came in with one out and the bases loaded and a three-run lead before giving up an RBI single to Melky Cabrera. He got Damon to pop out, then Jeter made it 11-10.
Abreu was intentionally walked before Rodriguez doubled in another run and Robinson Cano singled in two more.
Ramirez hit his 33rd homer of the season -- but his first since Aug. 9 -- and then went 4-for-6 in the nightcap.
Notes
- A logo for the Jimmy Fund was added to the Green Monster in honor of the cancer charity's annual telethon.
- Bernie Williams tied Lou Gehrig for first on the Yankees' list with his 1,531st single.
- Kyle Farnsworth left after being struck on the right leg by Wily Mo Pena's liner in the seventh in the night game. He was diagnosed with a bruise, and X-rays were negative.
