1999 Yankees Diary, September 11: Red Sox crush Irabu, bullpen to inch closer in standings

Pregame

The New York Yankees entered the September 11, 1999, game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park with a 1.5-game lead in the AL East. The Red Sox, on the other hand, were just 3.5 games back and were looking to make a statement in the series opener.

The starting pitchers for the game were Hideki Irabu for the Yankees and Pedro Martinez for the Red Sox. Irabu was making his 25th start of the season, while Martinez was making his 30th.

Both pitchers had been struggling in recent weeks, and the game was expected to be a close one.

Game Recap

The Red Sox got on the board early in the first inning when Nomar Garciaparra singled in a run off Irabu. The Yankees came back to tie the game in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Chuck Knoblauch.

However, the Red Sox would take the lead for good in the third inning on a two-run home run by Manny Ramirez. The Yankees would get one run back in the fourth inning on a home run by Tino Martinez, but the Red Sox would add two more runs in the fifth inning on a double by Garciaparra and a single by Trot Nixon.

The Yankees would get one more run back in the sixth inning on a single by Chuck Knoblauch, but the Red Sox bullpen would hold on to secure the 6-4 victory.

Postgame

The win moved the Red Sox to within 1.5 games of the Yankees in the AL East. The Yankees still held a slim lead, but the Red Sox had shown that they were a team to be reckoned with.

The loss was a tough one for the Yankees, but they still had a chance to clinch the division title in the remaining games of the season.