By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Marcus Thames earned his pinstripes with a game-ending two-run home run off Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon to lift the Yankees to an 11-9 win in a wild game at Yankee Stadium on Monday.
Thames' homer was the punctuation point on a topsy-turvy game that saw the Yankees blow leads of 5-0 and 6-1.
“I knew I had that one,” Thames told reporters after the game. “I’ve hit a few and that one felt pretty good.”
New York trailed by two runs heading into the bottom of the ninth inning before Alex Rodriguez's two-run home run off Papelbon pulled the Yankees into a 9-9 tie with one out.
Papelbon was able to get Robinson Cano to fly out, but then the 'Sox closer hit catcher Francisco Cervelli before serving up Thames' game-winning shot. Thames and A-Rod finished with 4 RBIs apiece to pace the Yankees.
The Yankees ninth-inning heroics saved the team on a day they struggled to hold a lead.
New York jumped all over Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka for five runs in the first inning and added another run in the second of the struggling Japanese right-hander.
Yankees starter Phil Hughes had his roughest start of the season, giving up five runs in five innings of work to raise his ERA from 1.38 to 2.25.
Javier Vazquez, who was demoted to the bullpen earlier this week, came on in relief to get the final out of the game in the ninth inning to earn his second win of the season.
CC Sabathia (4-2) will take the mound for New York against Josh Beckett (1-1) on Tuesday in the final game of the two-game series between the two AL East rivals. Becket gave up nine runs in a 10-3 loss to the Yankees in his last start on May 7.
