Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Ryan Kalish and David Ortiz each homered and Clay Buchholz pitched effectively into the eighth inning to lead Boston over rival New York, 6-3, in the opener of a four-game series.
Buchholz (12-5) shook off a two-run homer by Mark Teixeira in the first inning and ended up scattering nine hits over his 7 1/3-inning start, walking none and striking out four while giving up three runs.
"[Buchholz] was tremendous. Any time you look up and you get that deep into the game, you're doing something right," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of his starter. "He pounded the strike zone and stayed down."
Daniel Bard recorded the final two outs of the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon closed it out in the ninth to get Boston's 10-game road trip started on the right foot.
The Red Sox entered the set coming off a four-game split against the lowly Cleveland Indians and trailed the front-running Yankees by six games.
They were able to inch closer by knocking around Javier Vazquez (9-8), who surrendered six runs -- three earned -- on six hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss, New York's fourth in five games.
Ortiz hit one to straightaway center for his 24th round-tripper of the year in the first inning, and Teixeira, with Derek Jeter on first base, reached the right-field seats for his fourth homer in six games in the bottom half.
Boston quickly erased its 2-1 deficit in the second frame thanks to Francisco Cervelli dropping a Mike Lowell pop up near the first-base line.
"I just dropped it," recalled Cervelli. "I called Vazquez off. You never let the pitchers catch fly balls. It was my fault. I dropped it."
The error put runners on the corners, and Vazquez recorded consecutive two-out walks to Jed Lowrie and Jacoby Ellsbury to force in a run.
Marco Scutaro followed with a double down the left-field line to plate two more, and the Red Sox led from there.
Alex Rodriguez's hump-back liner scored Jeter to get within one in the home fifth, but Kalish golfed a Vazquez offering over the right-field wall the next frame for his first big-league blast. Lowell singled ahead of the homer.
Buchholz retired eight of the previous nine hitters he faced before giving up a one-out double to Robinson Cano in the eighth. Bard came in from the bullpen and stranded Cano on second, as Ellsbury made a diving catch in center to rob Lance Berkman of a hit and Curtis Granderson popped out to first.
Papelbon, already making his fourth appearance this month, worked around a two-out walk to Jeter in the last frame for his 27th save of the season.
Jeter's single in the first inning tied him with Babe Ruth for 39th on the all-time hits list with 2,873...Teixeira's homer marked the fourth straight game the Yankees notched a two-run shot in the first stanza...Kerry Wood threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for New York...Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre extended his hit streak to a season-high 12 games with a double in the second inning...Buchholz picked up his first win against New York in five career starts...Cano had three hits for the Yankees...Ellsbury was the only Red Sox starter held without a hit...Game time: 3:17...Boston's John Lackey toes the rubber opposite CC Sabathia on Saturday.