Red Sox Boycott Resolved Bloodlessly

Beckett pitches eight strong innings as Boston continues roll

(NEWSER) - Manny Ramirez singled in two runs in the first inning to end his longest RBI drought with Boston and Josh Beckett pitched eight innings to help the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-4 last night. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz each had three hits and Jason Varitek drove in three runs for Boston, which has won four of five after a five-game losing streak. More»

(NEWSER) - Manny Ramirez slid in just ahead of the tag on Jason Varitek's single in the ninth, giving the Boston Red Sox their second straight win in their last at bat, 2-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Ramirez barely beat the throw from center fielder Vernon Wells, who had thrown out Jed Lowrie at the plate on the previous play, a single by Brandon Moss. More»

Boston takes 4-game win streak into series with New York

(NEWSER) - Jason Varitek sat long enough. After resting for eight innings, Boston's catcher Varitek hit a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning off Jensen Lewis to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, sweeping the two-game ALCS rematch. Varitek didn't start as Kevin Cash caught knuckleballing starter Tim Wakefield. More»

Red Sox season doesn't really start until the first Yankees game, and vice versa

(NEWSER) - This century has seen a drastic reversal of the Red Sox and Yankees' fortunes, but the draw of the teams' storied rivalry is still as strong as ever. Although small-market fans across the country will express derision or disinterest at the meeting of the powerhouses, chances are they will still tune in to tonight's series opener, writes Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley. More»

Red Sox, A's take the field in Tokyo

(NEWSER) - The sun was just rising in Boston today as the Red Sox began their World Series title defense by taking on the Oakland Athletics half a world away. Many American fans were still in bed, but Japanese aficionados were paying rapt attention, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Sox have been selling out exhibition games all week, playing for baseball-crazed fans with a decidedly different style than they're used to. More»