NEW YORK - Not even when Babe Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox had they romped this way.
Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin Millar and Todd Walker homered as the Red Sox posted their biggest shutout victory in New York, routing Roger Clemens and the Yankees 11-0 Saturday.
"Our offense is scary," said Johnny Damon, who had two hits and two RBIs. "It's someone different every day."
This afternoon everyone seemed to take part as the Red Sox won their fifth in a row and sent New York to its third straight loss. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield pitched seven scoreless innings.
With chants of "Let's go Red Sox!" reverberating through the crowd of 55,237, Boston cut the Yankees' edge in the AL East to 11/2 games, their slimmest margin since July 29.
"When they get a hittable ball, they're hitting it, that's for sure," Clemens said. "They're hotter than a pistol right now."
A day after Yankees owner George Steinbrenner besieged his players and staff during a 9-3 loss, the Boss was not seen as the Red Sox romped to a 7-0 lead. After it was over, he was virtually silent, as were his hitters.
The Red Sox's most lopsided shutout win in New York was 10-0 April 23, 1919, in the season opener. That season Ruth led the Red Sox in homers and RBIs, and it was before the Yankees were known as the Bronx Bombers; that loss came at the old Polo Grounds, across the Harlem River in Manhattan.
"You ride through the tough times and, hopefully, you make them end as quickly as possible," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We really have to look at the big picture. People still have to come and get us."
The Yankees and Red Sox play their last scheduled game against each today. David Wells, winless in his past seven starts, pitches against Boston's Jeff Suppan.
"We certainly need to win," Torre said. "We probably needed to win today."
It was New York's most one-sided shutout loss at Yankee Stadium since Milwaukee won 12-0 on April 27, 1984.
"I think it's mostly a coincidence," said Walker, who drove in four. "They have hit the ball better at our place and we've hit it better here, I think."
Boston chased Clemens with six runs in the fourth, sending him to his earliest exit not related to injury since June 6, 1999, against the Mets.
Many of the Boston fans who gave Clemens a standing ovation Aug. 31 at Fenway Park to thank him for his years there derisively serenaded with catcalls of "Ro-ger, Ro-ger" before he trudged off after 31/3 innings.
"Good crowds, both stadiums," he said. "Just a fun time to play."
While Clemens fell to 2-3 vs. the Red Sox this season in his final regular-season appearance against them, Wakefield bamboozled the Yankees with his knuckleball.
Wakefield held New York to four hits and won for the first time in six starts. He retired the first 11 and improved to 2-2 in matchups with Clemens this season.
"I wasn't focusing on Roger, I was focusing on their lineup," Wakefield said.
