By SeanMcAdam
CSNNE.com Red SoxInsiderFollow@sean_mcadam
NEW YORK -- For six innings, the Red Sox were overmatched by CC Sabathia, collecting just two hits in 19 at-bats against the lefty.
In the seventh inning, however, everything changed. The Sox sent eight hitters to the plate against Sabathia with six getting hits. All six hits -- plus two more against reliever David Robertson -- resulted in seven runs, wiping out a 2-0 Yankee lead and giving the Red Sox a 8-3 victory and a sweep of their three-game series.
The win, which followed a rain delay of nearly three and a half hours, gave the Red Sox a two-game lead in the A.L. East, their largest of the season. The Sox improved to 8-1 against the Yankees this season.
Josh Beckett, who fell behind when he yielded a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson, the second batter of the game for the Yankees, got the win, improving to 5-2. In 21 innings over three starts against the Yankees this season, Beckett has allowed just two runs on 10 hits for an ERA of 0.86.
In the seventh, the key hits included a run-scoring triple into the right field corner by Jed Lowrie, an RBI double to left by Mike Cameron which tied the game, a sharp single to right from Jacoby Ellsbury which gave the Sox their first lead and a booming double to left-center from David Ortiz off reliever David Robertson.
STAR OF THE GAME: Josh Beckett
Beckett's troubles against the Yankees are a thing of the past, apparently.
After allowing a two-run homer to the second hitter of the night, Curtis Granderson, Beckett tossed seven shutout innings and steered the Red Sox to an 8-3 win.
Boston Red Sox
In three starts this year against New York, Beckett is 3-0 with an 0.86 ERA.
HONORABLE MENTION: David Ortiz
Ortiz had two hits in the seventh inning -- a leadoff single which kick-started the rally and a two-run double to left-center which scored the sixth and seventh runs of the inning.
He also became the first Red Sox hitter to have at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in four straight games against the Yankees in the same season since Ted Williams did it in 1948.
GOAT OF THE GAME: Nick Swisher
Swisher was 0-for 3, and also misplayed Jed Lowrie's single in the seventh into a run-scoring triple.
TURNING POINT: In the third inning, the Yankees had the bases loaded and Robinson Cano at the plate.
The way CC Sabathia was going, if Beckett had given up a hit, the Yanks would have doubled their lead and likely put the game out of reach.
Instead, Beckett got Cano on a soft liner to third, stranding three and buying time for the offense to come back later in the game.
BY THE NUMBERS: After starting the season 0-7 on the road, the Red Sox are 17-6 in their 23 away games since.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "I just want to thank you guys for (publicizing) the stat today of me not getting hit by the Yankees. I finally got hit. Hope you (expletive) are happy.''
Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com.Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam