Alex Rodriguez hit his 522nd home run to pass Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the career list, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 15-9 on Wednesday in a glacially paced game that took 4 hours, 8 minutes.
Melky Cabrera's tiebreaking groundout in a four-run fifth inning put New York ahead to stay. The 24 runs were the most in a Red Sox-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium since New York's 14-10 win on April 21, 1956, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. And the 15 runs were the most by New York against Boston in the Bronx since winning 17-9 on July 7, 1954.
New York went ahead for good 11-9 in the fifth, when Jorge Posada hit an RBI double against Julian Tavarez (0-1) and scored the tying run on Robinson Cano's single.
The Yankees, who have won three straight for the first time this year, stopped Boston's winning streak at four. Bobby Abreu hit a two-run homer for New York.
LaTroy Hawkins (1-0) got the win and Brian Bruney earned his first save since 2005.
In Cleveland, Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam, Miguel Cabrera also homered and drove in five runs, and the resurgent Detroit roughed up struggling Cy Young pitching award winner C.C. Sabathia as the Tigers defeated the Indians 13-2.
Cabrera finished with four hits, and Renteria's fifth-inning slam capped Detroit's offensive outburst against Sabathia (0-3), who has a 13.50 ERA after four outings. That's one big reason for Cleveland's slow start - the Indians (5-10) have lost three straight and eight of 11.
Sabathia, who can become a free agent after this season, gave up nine runs, eight hits and five walks over four-plus innings before leaving to boos. The Indians lost for the sixth time in seven games.
In Baltimore, Jim Thome broke a prolonged power drought with a three-run homer and a double, leading Chicago past skidding Baltimore 3-1.
Jose Contreras (1-1) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball for the White Sox, who have won nine of 12. He struck out six, walked none and lowered his ERA from 6.17 to 4.34.
Scott Linebrink worked the eighth and Bobby Jenks got three straight outs for his sixth save.
Thome was forced to sit Tuesday after being suspended for inappropriate actions during an April 11 game against Detroit. He returned to the lineup against the Orioles with a .156 batting average and a homerless drought that had reached 43 at-bats.
(Agencies April 18, 2008)