David Ortiz homers, J.D. Drew comes through late as Red Sox rally to 4-3 win, 8-0 vs. Yanks

Red Sox rally to 4-3 win, 8th straight vs. Yanks

BOSTON — J.D. Drew hit an RBI single to spark an eighth-inning rally, then scored the go-ahead run on Mike Lowell’s fly ball Thursday night to help the Boston Red Sox beat New York 4-3 and improve to 8-0 against the Yankees this year.

It’s the first time the Red Sox have opened the season with eight straight wins against their New York rivals since they helped christen the brand-new Fenway Park by winning the first 14 matchups against the Highlanders in 1912.

The teams don’t meet again until Aug. 6.

Takashi Saito (1-0) earned his first AL victory with four outs of scoreless relief, and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 16th save. David Ortiz hit his third homer in five games.

Brad Penny pitched six shutout innings before the Yankees scored three times off Manny Delcarmen in the seventh to take a 3-1 lead. After cruising through seven innings, CC Sabathia (5-4) ran into trouble when Nick Green hit a leadoff single and Dustin Pedroia walked.

Drew singled to make it 3-2 and chase Sabathia after a season-high 123 pitches. Alfredo Aceves gave up a single to Kevin Youkilis to load the bases, and then another base hit to Jason Bay that tied it. Lowell hit a shallow fly ball to left-center, and Drew scored as Melky Cabrera’s throw bounced into the infield behind him.

Ortiz hit his fourth homer of the season in the second inning to make it 1-0, and it stayed that way until Penny left the game and Cabrera singled to lead off the seventh. Francisco Cervelli doubled to tie it, then Johnny Damon walked with one out and Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double to give the Yankees their first lead of the series.

Rodriguez was also in the middle of it in the first inning, when Penny plunked him in the back with a pitch. After a meeting of the umpires, both benches were warned and there were no further problems.

NOTES: John Smoltz had been scheduled to make his final rehab start in Triple-A, but Pawtucket’s game at Syracuse was rained out. He will pitch on Friday night instead. … The Yankees did not lead against Boston at any time in the previous four games. That has happened only eight times in the 107-year-old rivalry, the last in 1974, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. … Damon dropped what should have been an easy fly ball to end the fourth, but it didn’t do any damage. … Heavy rain began in the seventh, but the game was not delayed. … Penny threw a season-high 117 pitches. … Delcarmen had not allowed a run to the Yankees in his previous 16 appearances against them.