Beckett Wins Red Sox Debut

Josh Beckett was physically and mentally drained. And very excited.

Given a lead going into the seventh inning of his Boston debut, Beckett worked through a 1-2-3 frame and on his 109th -- and final -- pitch got reigning AL batting champion Michael Young on a check swing for a strikeout.

Beckett excitedly bounded off the mound, and the Red Sox held on for a 2-1 victory Wednesday night at Arlington, Texas.

“The last pitch I threw to Michael Young, that was about all I had left,” said Beckett, acquired in an off-season trade from Florida. “I wanted them to call that a strike so bad.”

Beckett gave up a run in the first and needed 81 pitches to get through the four innings. But after D’Angelo Jimenez led off the fourth with a double, Beckett retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced.

Mike Timlin then worked the eighth, getting defensive help from Manny Ramirez to preserve the lead, and Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.

Trot Nixon’s two-run homer in the seventh gave the Red Sox all the runs they’d need.

Making his first start for the Red Sox not far from his hometown of Spring, Texas, Beckett gave up a run and seven hits. He had five strikeouts and one walk, throwing 75 of his pitches for strikes.

With Mark Teixeira trying to score from second on Kevin Mench’s single, Ramirez fielded the ball and hit the cutof man, third baseman Mike Lowell. The relay to catcher Jason Varitek beat Teixeira to home plate by several steps.

Detroit 14, Kansas City 3 -- Ivan Rodriguez was five for five with a single, homer, three doubles and five RBIs in a victory at Kansas City, Mo.

Brandon Inge, Marcus Thames, Curtis Granderson and Carlos Guillen also homered for the Tigers, who got 19 hits and improved to 2-0 under new Manager Jim Leyland.

Winner Jeremy Bonderman gave up one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out eight and walked none.

Loser Jose Mays gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Minnesota 13, Toronto 4 -- Torii Hunter hit his fifth grand slam and tied a career-high with six RBIs to lead the Twins at Toronto.

Hunter went four for five and scored three runs.

Shannon Stewart and Luis Rodriguez also homered as every Twin starter reached base.

Twin starter Brad Radke (1-0) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings. Josh Towers (0-1) allowed five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Attendance was only 18,156 -- a day after the Blue Jays attracted the fourth-largest crowd (50,449) for a home opener.

Oakland 9, New York 4 -- Milton Bradley had three RBIs and scored the go-ahead run on second baseman Robinson Cano’s eighth-inning error, helping the Athletics overcome a four-run deficit to take two of three from the Yankees at Oakland.

Frank Thomas hit a three-run double later in the inning for the A’s. Cano made two errors that led to five unearned runs.

Joe Kennedy (1-0) got the last out of the eighth and finished the ninth for Oakland. Jaret Wright (0-1) took the loss.

Cleveland 4, Chicago 3 -- Jason Michaels doubled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning -- his fourth hit of the game -- to help the visiting Indians win two of three in the opening series between the AL Central rivals.

Guillermo Mota pitched out of jams in the eighth and ninth innings, Danny Graves got the win with a scoreless 10th and Bob Wickman pitched the 11th for the save.

Baltimore 16, Tampa Bay 6 -- Jay Gibbons homered and drove in four runs at Baltimore and the Orioles used a 16-hit attack to win their first two games for the first time since 1997.

Winner Erik Bedard gave up three runs, three walks and eight hits in five innings. Loser Seth McClung gave up seven runs and a career-high seven walks in three-plus innings.