Red Sox, Yankees play rubber match in Boston

Early-season bragging rights will on the line when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox play the rubber match of a three-game series tonight at Fenway Park.

These two heated rivals have each won once in the first two 2008 meetings between the clubs. The Yankees posted a 4-1 victory on Friday behind a complete-game performance from Chien-Ming Wang, but Boston evened the score with a 4-3 win yesterday in a contest that featured a two-hour, 11-minute rain delay.

Manny Ramirez was the hero for the Red Sox on Saturday, as the feared slugger had a solo home run and gave Boston a 3-2 lead with a two-run double in the sixth inning.

Kevin Youkilis added two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox, while ace Josh Beckett worked 6 2/3 solid innings to earn his first win of the season.

Beckett (1-1) allowed just one hit through the first five innings and just five total before exiting. The hard-throwing righty surrendered three runs in his second start since coming off the disabled list last weekend.

Jonathan Papelbon got the final four outs, three of them via strikeout, to record his fourth save of the year.

Yankees starter Mike Mussina (1-2) served up Ramirez's go-ahead hit and suffered the loss after yielding four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Continued at My Sportsbook...