G144: Red Sox 5, Mariners 1

Red Sox  - 030 000 020 - 5  6  0
Mariners - 000 000 100 - 1  4  2

Lester (8-3-1-3-12, 112) struck out 10+ batters for the fourth consecutive start and the kids in the lineup carried the offense.

Lester has now posted double digits in strikeouts 14 times, all but one of them coming in the last two seasons. He struck out 10+ in three straight starts last year (May 31, June 6, 12). Before tonight, he had fanned an even 10 on each of August 27, and September 1 and 6.

In the second inning, Adrian Beltre singled and took third on Jed Lowrie's double. Josh Reddick's groundout scored one run, then Daniel Nava and Lars Anderson each hit RBI doubles. After Marco Scutaro walked to begin the eighth, Ryan Kalish homered to right-center.

The Rays beat the Yankees 1-0 in 11 innings to move into first place in the East. Reid Brignac led off the bottom of the 11th with a home run off Sergio Mitre to give the Rays their first ever 1-0 walk-off and the team's first extra-inning victory by that score. The expected duel between Sabathia (8-2-0-2-9, 119) and Price (8-3-0-2-4, 114) lived up to its billing. The Yankees have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight games.

Boston is now 7.5 GB Tampa Bay in the East and 7 GB New York in the WC -- with 18 games, including six against the Yankees, to play.

Jon Lester / Doug Fister

Scutaro, 2B
Kalish, CF
Martinez, C
Ortiz, DH
Beltre, 3B
Lowrie, SS
Reddick, RF
Nava, LF
Anderson, 1B

Lefty Rich Hill is up from Pawtucket and will join the Sox in Seattle. Hill pitched in 19 games for the PawSox, including six starts, and had a 3.74 ERA. Hill has played five seasons, four with the Cubs and one with Baltimore.

Up top: Yankees/Rays (Sabathia/Price), 7 PM

September 13:

1946 - The Red Sox clinch the pennant by beating Cleveland 1-0. Boston gets its run on the only inside-the-park home run of Ted Williams's career.

1993 - The Astros/Rockies in Colorado is postponed when the Denver area gets between 5-8 inches of snow. The day before, it was 92 degrees. The snow melts the following day.

1997 - The Mets are down to their last strike in the bottom of the ninth, trailing the Expos 6-0. But they rally and tie the game when Carl Everett hits a grand slam. In the 11th, Bernard Gilkey hits a three-run dong for a 9-6 Mets win.