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Napoli's clutch homer off Tanaka spoils complete-game effort

Anthony Gruppuso / USA TODAY Sports

Bronx, NY  - Mike Napoli snuck a solo home run over the wall in right center in the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game AL East series.

Jon Lester and Masahiro Tanaka were engaged in a classic pitchers' duel, and Tanaka was the last to blink.

After getting David Ortiz to bounce into a double play, Tanaka tried blowing a 96-m.p.h. fastball past Napoli, who was late on the swing but got just enough to poke it into the first row of seats and break a 1-1 tie.

Koji Uehara pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off a gem from Lester (9-7), who allowed only five singles, two walks and an unearned run over eight terrific innings to give Boston just its third win in its last nine games.

Tanaka (11-3) recorded his third complete game but dropped consecutive starts for the first time. The only other run he allowed came on David Ross' homer in the third.

The Yankees were held hitless over the first five innings, yet they still pulled even in the third. Brian Roberts reached on Stephen Drew's error, moved to second when Yangervis Solarte was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on Derek Jeter's groundout to short.

Tanaka wiggled out of a second-and-third, no-out jam in the third, then benefited from a replay reversal in the sixth when Jacoby Ellsbury threw out Dustin Pedroia trying to stretch a leadoff single into a double.

Brett Gardner recorded New York's first hit leading off the sixth but was promptly thrown out trying to steal second. The timing was unfortunate for the Yankees, as Jeter and Ellsbury followed with base hits and were stranded.

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