yes they are:
Clemens yanked in fourth inning
NEW YORK (AP) – Not even when Babe Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox had they romped this way.
Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin Millar and Todd Walker homered as the Red Sox posted their biggest shutout victory in New York, routing Roger Clemens and the Yankees 11-0 Saturday.
“Our offense is scary,” said Johnny Damon, who had two hits and drove in two runs. “It’s someone different every day.”
On this afternoon, everyone seemed to take part as the Red Sox won their fifth in a row and sent New York to its third straight loss. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield did his part, too, pitching seven scoreless innings.
With chants of “Let’s go Red Sox!” reverberating through the crowd of 55,237, Boston cut the Yankees’ edge in the AL East to 1{ games, their slimmest margin since July 29.
“When they get a hittable ball, they’re hitting it, that’s for sure,” Clemens said. “They’re hotter than a pistol right now.”
A day after Yankees owner George Steinbrenner besieged his players and staff during a 9-3 loss, the Boss was not seen as the Red Sox romped to a 7-0 lead. After it was over, he was virtually silent – as were his hitters.
The Red Sox eclipsed their previous most-lopsided shutout win in New York, a 10-0 victory on April 23, 1919, in the season opener. That was the same season Ruth led the Red Sox in homers and RBI, and before the Yankees were known as the Bronx Bombers – that loss came at the old Polo Grounds, across the Harlem River in Manhattan.
“You ride through the tough times and, hopefully, you make them end as quickly as possible,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “We really have to look at the big picture. People still have to come and get us.”
The Yankees and Red Sox play their last scheduled game against each other Sunday. David Wells, winless in his last seven starts, pitches against Boston’s Jeff Suppan.
“We certainly need to win tomorrow,” Torre said. “We probably needed to win today.”
Overall, it was the most one-sided shutout loss for New York at Yankee Stadium since Milwaukee won 12-0 on April 27, 1984.
“I think it’s mostly a coincidence,” said Walker, who drove in four runs. “They have hit the ball better at our place and we’ve hit it better here, I think.”
Boston chased Clemens with six runs in the fourth inning, sending the Rocket to his earliest exit – not related to an injury – since June 6, 1999, against the New York Mets.
Many of the same Boston fans who gave Clemens a standing ovation last Sunday at Fenway Park to thank him for all his years in Beantown derisively serenaded with catcalls of “Ro-ger, Ro-ger” before he trudged off the mound after only 3 1-3 innings.
“Good crowds, both stadiums,” he said. “Just a fun time to play.”
While Clemens (13-9) fell to 2-3 vs. the Red Sox this year in his final regular-season appearance against them, Wakefield (10-6) bamboozled the Yankees with his knuckleball.
Wakefield shut out New York on four hits, and won for the first time in six starts. He retired the first 11 batters and improved to 2-2 in matchups with Clemens this season.
“I wasn’t focusing on Roger, I was focusing on their lineup,” Wakefield said.
The Red Sox, who trailed the Yankees by 7{ games on Aug. 20, matched a season high with their fifth straight road win and sent New York to its fourth loss in five games.
Clemens set down the first five batters before Millar hit his 23rd homer. Trot Nixon was up next, and Clemens began walking off the mound when he thought he had an inning-ending strikeout – only to find out Nixon had checked his swing.
Things didn’t get much better for Clemens. Walker opened the fourth with a single and Garciaparra followed with his 24th homer.
Shortstop Enrique Wilson, subbing for injured Derek Jeter, dropped a line drive by David Ortiz for an error, setting up RBI singles by Millar and Bill Mueller. A walk to ninth-place hitter Doug Mirabelli loaded the bases, and Damon chased Clemens with an RBI single.
Walker greeted Chris Hammond with a sacrifice fly to cap the burst.
Damon singled home a run and Walker hit a three-run homer in the eighth.