BOSTON (Reuters) - World Series champions the New York Yankees responded to their season-opening loss with a 6-4 victory over arch rivals the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday to tie their three-game series.
Robinson Cano went two-for-three with a solo home run in the ninth inning and 40-year-old Mariano Rivera looked as good as new in closing out the bottom half of the inning for the Yankees, who had slumped to a 9-7 defeat to Boston on Sunday.
New York trailed 3-1 before scoring three times in the fifth when Alex Rodriguez had an RBI double and Cano added a sacrifice-fly.
Victor Martinez led the Red Sox with a two-run home run in the third and an RBI double in the fifth to level the score at 4-4 before outfielder Nick Swisher drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to put the Yankees in front.
Swisher's walk could have been prevented had Boston shortstop Marco Scutaro hit the target with a throw to first base.
"It hit the top of my glove, and it just didn't get in the webbing," Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis told reporters of Scutaro's throw. "It just hopped up enough and I got a bad bounce."
Both Yankees starter A.J. Burnett and Boston's Jon Lester took no-decisions after throwing five innings and allowing four runs.
Burnett was signed to a lucrative deal before the 2009 season but had a mediocre campaign to finish the regular season 13-9.
Jorge Posada was back behind the plate for the right-hander, after giving up to backup Jose Molina last season amid media reports of a rift between the starting catcher and Burnett.
"He really went out of his way to make me feel good, and I appreciate that," Posada said of Burnett. "I went out there and told him to get on top of the curveball a little more. He did it right away."
New York had to dig deep into its bullpen to secure Tuesday's win, and needed Joba Chamberlain to strike out consecutive batters in the eighth when the Red Sox had a man on second base with one out.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)
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