A triple header Beanballs cap Yanks' sweep.

Byline: Bill Ballou

COLUMN: RED SOX-YANKEES RIVALRY

NEW YORK - Beanballs, ejections, celebrities, home runs and a manager having his shirt checked under the box seats behind the dugout - just another three days in the Bronx for the Red Sox.

Three memorably awful ones at that, as Boston was swept by the Yankees in a three-game series during which it never led, 5-3, 4-3 and yesterday 5-0. The Red Sox' lead in the AL East shrunk by 37.5 percent, from eight games to five.

It started on Tuesday night with Johnny Damon punching a single to center to lead off the bottom of the first, continued Wednesday with manager Terry Francona having his shirt looked at by a baseball official during the second inning, and ended in the top of the ninth yesterday afternoon with Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell and pitcher Josh Beckett standing on the top of the dugout steps screaming at New York rookie Joba Chamberlain, who had just whizzed two sizzling fastballs over the clean-shaven but helmeted head of Kevin Youkilis.

Why, with a five-run lead, Chamberlain would throw at Youkilis is a question that may remain as unanswered as whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. The rookie, thrown out of the game by plate umpire Angel Hernandez, said the back-back beanballs were unintentional.

Youkilis and manager Terry Francona both thought that the evidence spoke for itself.

"If that young man is trying to get our attention," Francona said, "he did a very good job."

Youkilis had a tough day all around, as he often does. It sometimes seems as though he should have the "20" taken off the back of his uniform and have it replaced with a bull's-eye. He is forever hitting foul balls off his body, getting hit with pitches, or even taking throws from the outfield in the side of the head.

Yesterday, the assault was more symbolic than anything else, but earlier in the game, Youkilis was involved in a controversial play that wound up with Francona getting ejected.

First, the beanballs.

"There were two balls going over my head at 98 miles an hour," Youkilis said. "I didn't see any other balls that far out of the zone. That's two balls that go over your head from a guy with a zero ERA."

Youkilis has been hit three times by New York pitchers this season, including once in the head by Scott Proctor on June 1, so he may think he's a target, although he doesn't know why. Only one man knows if yesterday's beanballs were intentional, Youkilis added, and that is Chamberlain.

The rookie sounded sincerely apologetic.

"They slipped," he said. "The last thing I wanted to do was put a bad message out there. There was no maliciousness behind it. I have too much respect for the game and for the way (Youkilis) plays the game."

Umpire Derryl Cousins, speaking for the crew, said Chamberlain was ejected because, "There is more than a little bit of history between these clubs. Those were two pretty nasty pitches the young man threw. Up here, you need to be a little better throwing strikes and we just had to put a lid on it before there was a problem."

Two innings earlier, Youkilis was part of the first, and only, Red Sox rally of the day. He reached on a throwing error by Derek Jeter, then went to second on Mike Lowell's single to right. Boston had men at first and second with nobody out for J.D. Drew, who tapped a soft grounder to Alex Rodriguez at third.

Rodriguez went to tag Youkilis, who ran onto the edge of the infield grass to avoid the tag, then threw to first in time to get Drew. At first, the umpires ruled that Youkilis was safe, giving the Sox men at second and third with one out, but after Joe Torre came out to argue the call, the umpiring crew conferred and reversed it.

Youkilis and Drew were both out and that was the rally. Francona bolted out of the dugout to argue and was tossed in no time at all.

"I just wanted to get an explanation," he said, "and there was some frustration on my part. It's a judgment call, and a difficult call. The rule can get awfully gray. ... I just thought the guy with the best view didn't make the call."

It is a judgment call, for sure, Youkilis said, adding: "That didn't lose us the game."

What lost the game was another terrible day on offense. Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang (15-6) had a no-hitter through six, with Lowell's single finally breaking it up. The Sox wound up with just two hits.

Curt Schilling was the Boston starter and pitched craftily before leaving after seven with his team trailing by just 2-0. The only runs he gave up were solo homers by Robinson Cano. Schilling relied on guile more than anything. His fastball has deteriorated to the point where it's not much better than you might see at an American Legion tournament game.

"He navigated his way through a pretty tough lineup," Francona said. "Cano just took two pretty good swings."

With the loss, the Red Sox had navigated their way through a 6-4 road trip, but it may have been the worst 6-4 trip they've ever had considering that the last three losses were to the Yankees.

Boston is done with games here for now, at least for the regular season, but New York is at Fenway Park starting Sept. 14 and the usual items will probably be on the menu - beanballs, ejections, controversy - and maybe even the top spot in the AL East.

NAME: BOSTON RED SOX 

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek reacts after throwing the ball away for an eighth-inning error that allowed two runs to score.

PHOTOG: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS