Yankees hammer Schilling, Red Sox

Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees kept their focus on the field, capping a busy day with a crisp victory over Boston.

Pettitte pitched seven vigorous innings, Hideki Matsui homered off an ineffective Curt Schilling and the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 8-3, on Wednesday night.

Light-hitting Doug Mientkiewicz also connected and Derek Jeter passed Joe DiMaggio for fifth place on the franchise hits list to help New York take two of three in the series and move within 9 1/2 games of American League East-leading Boston.

“Right now, we don’t have a choice. Every series becomes a mini playoff series,” Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. “You lose this one, it would really hurt.”

Matsui drove in three runs, and Jeter, Mientkiewicz and Johnny Damon had three hits apiece. New York roughed up Schilling (4-2) for 12 hits, the most he had allowed since yielding 13 on April 22, 2004, at Toronto.

“Most of the hits were mistakes and they hammered them,” Schilling said. “My last 12 innings, I’ve given up 24 baserunners. It’s not just the stretch, it’s everything. I’ve got to pitch again in five days and I’ve got to figure it out in the next four.”

Before the game, Yankees designated hitter Jason Giambi met with lawyers from the baseball commissioner’s office to discuss his recent comments about steroids. New York also learned that oft-injured pitcher Carl Pavano will have reconstructive elbow surgery.

Jeter’s run-scoring single in the second inning gave him 2,215 hits to pass DiMaggio.

“It’s special. I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t, but it’s not something I was thinking about,” Jeter said. “It just comes with time and playing a lot of years, I guess.”

Rodriguez lined a leadoff double in the third and scored on Jorge Posada’s single. Mientkiewicz homered off the facade of the right-field upper deck in the fourth for a 6-0 lead.

It was a rare outburst of run support for Pettitte (3-3), who took a shutout into the sixth. The left-hander allowed one run and nine hits with one walk, lowering his earned-run average to 2.66.