NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Napoli hit a grand slam right after a mound conference, Felix Doubront stifled the Yankees once again and the Boston Red Sox sent New York to its sixth loss in seven games, 11-1 Saturday night.
Daniel Nava added a three-run homer in the eighth inning that emptied the crowd. The aisles were full of fans streaming to the exits by the time Nava touched the plate, and a “Let’s go, Red Sox” chant erupted when Stephen Drew homered in a three-run ninth.
The Red Sox stopped Phil Hughes’ recent run of success against them and evened this three-game series going into Sunday night’s wrapup. Boston won on a warm evening, with Yankees catcher Chris Stewart leaving after the fourth inning because of dehydration.
Napoli’s second slam of the season capped a five-run burst in the third and followed an intentional walk to David Ortiz. Stewart and shortstop Jayson Nix visited Hughes when the count reached 2-2, and Napoli lined the next pitch over the right-center fence for his fifth career slam.
The Red Sox had been outhomered by the Yankees 4-0 in their first four meetings this year. Napoli and Nava provided pop, and more — Nava got four of Boston’s 18 hits and had an RBI grounder in the ninth, Napoli had three hits.
Doubront (4-2) won for the first time in five starts since his last victory on April 27. He permitted one run and six hits in six innings, striking out six.
The 25-year-old lefty with the slow, big-breaking curve has a 2.52 ERA in 10 career outings against the Yankees, including four straight quality starts last year.
Robinson Cano was hitless in 12 career at-bats against Doubront before solving him for a single. The next time up, Cano took a wild swing and missed a 72 mph breaking ball by a lot.
Hughes (2-4) was pulled in the fifth when Napoli came up. The right-hander won his final three starts against Boston last year while allowing a total of three earned runs.
NOTES: Napoli hit Boston’s fourth slam of the year. … Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira singled for his first hit of the season after coming off the disabled list a day earlier. … Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury missed his second straight game because of tightness in his left groin. Manager John Farrell says he hasn’t ruled out Ellsbury returning Sunday night. … RHP Clay Buchholz (7-0, 1.73) is set to start for Boston in the series finale vs. RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-3, 2.39). … The Yankees will host a day-night doubleheader (1:05 p.m./7:05 p.m.) on Aug. 20 against Toronto to make up for a rainout on May 19.