Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang wraps up Red Sox for 4-1 win

BOSTON — Chien-Ming Wang did much more than overshadow his past failures at Fenway Park.

The Yankees' top starter shut down the Red Sox on just two hits — a homer that nearly was caught and a bunt — in the only park in which he had a losing record where he had made more than one start.

Wang also improved against Boston's best hitters in New York's 4-1 win Friday night.

Manny Ramirez began the game 13 for 22 against Wang and David Ortiz was 15 for 30. But they were hitless in six at-bats with three strikeouts and a double play.

"I felt especially good about this because I threw the ball well here in Boston and never pitched well here," Wang said through a translator.

Not bad for a pitcher who was 2-3 with a 6.17 earned-run average at Fenway Park before the game.

Wang (3-0) struck out three, walked none and needed just 93 pitches in the first Yankees-Red Sox game of the season. He allowed only J.D. Drew's homer in the fifth inning and Coco Crisp's two-out bunt single in the ninth.

"His sinker was outstanding," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He was at the top of his game."

Wang allowed only one other runner, on an error.

The Red Sox hit a lot of line drives and deep fly balls, and Yankees outfielders had 12 putouts.

They nearly had 13, but Drew's deep drive grazed the top of right fielder Bobby Abreu's glove and landed in Boston's bullpen for a homer that made it 1-all.

"I just didn't find the wall very well," Abreu said. "When I was making my jump, I banged myself into the wall."

Jason Giambi, 1 for 22 before hitting a tiebreaking homer in the seventh, has had some tough luck on balls he's hit well.

"They hit a lot of balls hard, but they didn't get a lot of hits," he said of the Red Sox. "When they hit the ball hard, it was right at somebody. I know that feeling. I've been swinging the bat good, but I just didn't get a lot of hits."

Giambi gave New York a 2-1 lead with a leadoff homer in the seventh off Mike Timlin (0-1). Jose Molina then doubled, took third on Alberto Gonzalez's sacrifice and scored on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly.

Timlin was activated Friday from the disabled list where he started the season with a cut on his right ring finger

"It was terrible, absolutely terrible," he said. "I came back, pitched terrible. It's not how I was looking forward to opening up 2008."