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GAME LOG
BOSTON (AP) -- The 100th home opener in Boston Red Sox history
turned into their first win of the 2000s without Pedro Martinez.
Behind the pitching of his brother, Ramon, and the power of Carl
Everett. the Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 13-4 Tuesday.
|  | | Carl Everett follows through on his solo home run in the second inning of the Red Sox' win Tuesday. |
"It's important to show our pitchers support," said Everett,
who homered from each side of the plate and has three in his last
two games. "Our record doesn't show what our pitchers have done.
They've done a good job for us."
The victory by Ramon (1-1) improved the Red Sox to 3-4. The
other wins came in their first and sixth games when Pedro allowed
one run and struck out 23 in 14 1-3 innings.
Fenway Park, which opened on April 20, 1912, became the oldest
ballpark in the major leagues following Detroit's move from Tiger
Stadium this year.
A sellout crowd of 33,114, filled Fenway on a chilly day and
gave Everett, obtained from Houston in the offseason, a standing
ovation as he came to bat in the seventh following his two homers.
"It kind of pumps you up, but than I get back down," he said.
"I don't want to get too excited, but it was good for the fans.
They got what they wanted."
AL batting champion Nomar Garciaparra went 4-for-5 with three
RBIs after coming into the game at 4-for-22 with no RBIs. Boston
took charge early with two runs in the first and eight in the
second.
"We were bad," Minnesota manager Tom Kelly said. "We pitched
bad. We fielded bad. We didn't do anything good and they had a
great ballgame."
Ramon Martinez appeared headed for his second straight early
exit, struggling with his control as four of Minnesota's first five
batters reached to put the Twins ahead 1-0.
"In the first inning, I was upset with myself," he said.
"Then I said, `This is not going to happen.' I have to throw the
ball over the plate. I have to get a good rhythm.' "
In his first start last Wednesday, he allowed seven runs in 1
1-3 innings at Seattle.
"We didn't take advantage of Ramon in the first inning and it
might have been the difference in the game," Minnesota's Todd
Walker said. "Its kind of embarrassing."
Martinez allowed just three hits in his other four innings. His
shoulder, still healing from major surgery in June 1998, felt
discomfort from a game-time temperature of 45 degrees.
"I'm fine," he said, "but sometimes the weather is kind of
difficult."
Everett connected from both sides of the plate for the fourth
time in his career and raised his season total to four. He also
doubled in the seventh.
The Red Sox, who hit .236 in going 2-4, had 16 hits.
"We had a nice game," Boston manager Jimy Williams said. "A
lot of people contributed."
After a bases-loaded walk to Ron Coomer gave Minnesota a 1-0
lead in the first, Boston scored twice in the bottom half off Joe
Mays (0-1) on a walk to Jose Offerman, a double by Trot Nixon, a
sacrifice fly by Brian Daubach and a single by Garciaparra.
Everett began the second by homering in his first plate
appearance at Fenway Park, the 10th solo shot among Boston's first
11 homers.
A walk to Mike Stanley, a double by Wilton Veras and walks to
Offerman and Nixon gave Boston a 4-1 lead. An error by Mays on
Daubach's hard comebacker led to the fifth run and Garciaparra's
two-run single made it 7-1.
An RBI single by Troy O'Leary and a two-run single by Jason
Varitek completed the rally.
"It wasn't a game. It was a terrible event," Kelly said.
Minnesota made it 10-2 on Coomer's homer leading off the sixth
against John Wasdin. Boston scored three in the sixth on Everett's
two-run homer and Veras' run-scoring single, and Minnesota made it
13-4 in the seventh on a run-scoring groundout by David Ortiz and
Matt Lawton's RBI double.
Notes: The last two Red Sox players to hit two homers in a home
opener were John Valentin on April 11, 1997 against Randy Johnson
and Carlton Fisk on April 6, 1973 against Mel Stottlemyre (a
two-run homer) and Lindy McDaniel (a grand slam). Everett has 10
multihomer games. ... Veras, recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket after
Valentin went on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his
left knee, started at third base. ... For only the fourth time in
the Twins nine games, the winning run did not score in the winner's
last at-bat. ... Lawton leads Minnesota with 11 RBIs.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 13
Minnesota 4
Detroit 5
Seattle 2
Texas 0
NY Yankees 0
Chi. White Sox 13
Tampa Bay 6
Kansas City 7
Baltimore 5
Anaheim 5
Toronto 4
Cleveland 5
Oakland 1
Los Angeles 6
San Francisco 5
Montreal 7
Pittsburgh 3
St. Louis 10
Houston 6
Cincinnati 10
Colorado 3
San Diego 3
Arizona 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Carl Everett says he doesn't have anything to prove.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Nomar Garciaparra says the Red Sox got a good team win on Tuesday.
wav: 129 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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