One strike away from a win, Sabathia gets washed out

BOSTON - The Red Sox couldn't beat CC Sabathia yesterday. But he couldn't beat the rain at Fenway Park.

Sabathia was one strike away from an official game (and a potential win) when pouring rain caused a 1-hour, 14-minute delay in the bottom of the fifth inning of the Yankees' 14-3 win over the Red Sox.

One minute it was not raining at Fenway Park. The next it was absolutely teeming.

"It was raining pretty hard,'' Sabathia said. "It came pretty quick.''

Fans in the uncovered sections of the stands scrambled for cover as Sabathia attempted to complete the at-bat of Victor Martinez with one on, two outs and the Yankees leading 6-3.

The count was 2-and-2 on Martinez when first-base umpire Tim McClelland, the crew chief, waved his arms at 5:11 p.m. and halted play. The players sprinted off the field and the grounds crew struggled to get the tarp on.

The rain stopped by about 6 p.m. and play resumed with the sun out at 6:25 - but with Alfredo Aceves, not Sabathia, on the mound for the Yankees. Aceves got Martinez to foul out to Ramiro Peña.

Sabathia went 42/3 innings (89 pitches) and allowed three runs and four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. If he had completed five innings, he would have qualified for his fifth win in six decisions this season.

"I really didn't think about it,'' Sabathia said. "I probably should have rushed a little bit. But it is what it is. We got a win.''

Manager Joe Girardi said he scratched Sabathia from further duty once the delay reached 15 minutes. He said Sabathia didn't put up a fight.

Said Sabathia: "I figured once they put the tarp on and it's so early in the season, I was done.''

Instead, Aceves (3-0) earned the victory. He went one inning but had to leave with two outs in the sixth when he slipped on the mound on his first pitch to Jeremy Hermida. The Yankees reported he has a stiff lower back and will miss two to three days.

The Yankees supported their pitchers with ample runs, and Sabathia presumably supported his batters by responding to Friday night's bout of wildness by Red Sox starter Josh Beckett.

Sabathia was one of the Yankees yelling from the top step of the dugout Friday after Beckett hit Robinson Cano in the left knee and Derek Jeter in the back and came inside to Francisco Cervelli. Beckett denied being aware of the jawing and the Red Sox denied he was attempting to throw at Yankees hitters.

Cano had to leave Friday's game but returned Saturday as the designated hitter.

The Yankees did not retaliate Friday. But with two outs and none on in the third inning yesterday, Sabathia hit Dustin Pedroia in the backside.

It was the first pitch of the at-bat and seemed to have a purpose: You hit our second baseman; we'll hit yours.

Pedroia simply ran to first.

"Just a fastball that got away,'' Sabathia said. "I was trying to come in and it just got away.''

Whatever Sabathia's intent, the HBP actually ended up helping Boston. The Yankees were leading 2-1 at the time, but Martinez followed with a two-run home run to give the Red Sox a 3-2 advantage. It was their first and last lead of the day.