Schilling, Red Sox Rout Yankees; Tempers Flare

The Boston Red Sox ended their home season in typical fashion with another brilliant performance by Curt Schilling and another bench-clearing confrontation with the New York Yankees.

Schilling (21-6) gave up one hit in seven innings Sunday when Boston beat New York, 11-4, and knocked Kevin Brown out in the first inning of his return from a broken hand.

The Red Sox won 11 of 19 from the Yankees to take the season series for the first time in five years and cut first-place New York’s American League East lead to 3 1/2 games with one week to play.

“We probably play them too much,” Boston’s Johnny Damon said with a smile. “There’s too much anxiety brewing.”

In the top of the eighth inning, Boston’s Pedro Astacio was ejected for throwing behind Kenny Lofton, and both teams were warned by plate umpire Jim Wolf.

In the bottom half, pitcher Brad Halsey and Yankee Manager Joe Torre were ejected after Halsey threw a pitch high and tight to Dave Roberts, causing the benches and bullpens to clear. Players were kept apart.

“Tensions run high when we play the Red Sox, but I don’t think it affects the way we play,” said Halsey, who denied throwing at Roberts.

On July 24, also in Fenway Park, the teams fought after Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch from Bronson Arroyo and was shoved in the face by catcher Jason Varitek.

Schilling, who leads the major leagues in victories, is 12-1 in Fenway Park this season, his first with the Red Sox. He has won eight consecutive decisions for the first time in his major league career.

Boston scored four runs in the first against Brown (10-5), who got only two outs, then made it 7-0 in the second against Esteban Loaiza, who gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings.

After losing Friday’s opener, Boston won the last two games. A week earlier, the Red Sox won Friday in New York then lost the next two by 10 runs each.

“It’s a heated rivalry,” Roberts said. “There’s respect between the teams, but there’s definitely no love lost.”

Astacio relieved to start the eighth and was ejected when he threw his second pitch behind Lofton, who was involved in the game’s first dispute when he elbowed first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz on a groundout to second in the third inning.

“It happened in Cleveland too,” when Lofton played there, Mientkiewicz said. “There’s 700 players in the league. For some reason, he’s the only one I get elbowed by.”

Said Lofton: “I was trying to get out of the way. I said to him, ‘Why don’t you get out of the way?’ ”

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Minnesota 6, Cleveland 2 -- Omar Vizquel received a warm sendoff in what might have been his last home game for Cleveland.

Vizquel, the Indians’ popular shortstop, was one for four in the team’s home finale.

Carlos Silva (14-8) gave up one run and eight hits in seven innings, improving to 4-0 in his last eight starts.

The AL Central champions reached 90 victories for the third consecutive season as Jacque Jones had two runs batted in against Francisco Cruceta (0-1).

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Baltimore 5, Detroit 0 -- Rodrigo Lopez (14-8) pitched a three-hitter for his second career shutout, and the host Orioles completed a 6-0 season sweep.

Miguel Tejada homered and drove in three runs, and B.J. Surhoff also homered.

Detroit, blanked in its last 21 innings, has lost five in a row.

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Chicago 5, Kansas City 1 -- Jon Garland (11-11) gave up one run and five hits in 8 1/3 innings at Chicago, and Damaso Marte finished for his sixth save.

The Royals dropped to 57-98, their second-most losses in a season. Only the 2002 team (62-100) lost more games.

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Toronto at Tampa Bay, canceled -- The game at St. Petersburg, Fla., was canceled because of Hurricane Jeanne.