Boston edge Yankees

A happy day for Boston, who beat the Yankees 8-3

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American League

A classic duel between Boston's Manny Ramirez and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina was the highlight of the Red Sox's 8-3 victory over their arch-rivals on Saturday.

Ramirez came out on top with a single in an 11-pitch battle with the right-hander to spark a four-run fourth inning that propelled Boston to the win.

Boston's prized free-agent acquisition this winter singled to left field leading off the fourth and Mussina quickly crumbled as the Red Sox turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead.

Frank Castillo beat New York for the second time in six days, yielding three runs and six hits in five innings.

In Chicago, the Minnesota Twins won again and are off to their best start in 29 years.

Home runs from Torii Hunter and Corey Koskie contributed to the Twins' 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

At 13-3, the Twins are 10 games over .500 for the first time in almost nine years.

Jim Thome returned to form with a bang in Cleveland, belting a two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Detroit Tigers, 5-4, for their fifth straight victory.

Detroit broke through in the top of the 11th against Ricky Rincon to take a 4-3 lead before the Indians rallied for the win.

In St Petersberg, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays new manager Hal McRae got his first win, a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa snapped a five-game losing streak behind a solid start by Ryan Rupe, who allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings.

National League

The Milwaukee Brewers won for the first time at Pac Bell Park on Saturday as they overcame the San Francisco Giants 6-3.

The Brewers were led by pitcher Paul Rigdon, who tossed seven solid innings, and Jose Hernandez, who homered and drove in two runs.

In Cincinnati, the New York Mets took advantage of four errors to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-2.

Todd Zeile's two-run single capped a four-run third and Kevin Appier pitched 6almost seven full innings as the Mets snapped a five-game losing streak against the Reds.

Todd Hundley hit two home runs and lifted the Chicago Cubs to their fifth straight victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.

After the Pirates rallied to tie it in the bottom of the eighth, Hundley whacked a 0-1 delivery from Mike Williams into the right-field stands for his second home run of the year.

And in Miami, Brad Penny threw a four-hitter for his first career shutout as the Florida Marlins blanked the Montreal Expos, 5-0.

The game was over in just one hour 54 minutes, matching the fastest game in franchise history.

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Saturday's MLB results:

American League

Cleveland 5-4 (11) Detroit
New York Yankees 3-8 Boston
Tampa Bay 6-5 Baltimore
Chicago White Sox 3-4 Minnesota
Seattle 5-2 Anaheim
Kansas 5-4 (13) Toronto
Texas 6-7 Oakland

National League

Cincinnati 2-5 New York Mets
Pittsburgh 3-4 Chicago Cubs
Houston 2-9 St Louis
San Francisco 3-6 Milwaukee
Florida 5-0 Montreal
Philadelphia 4-1 Atlanta
Arizona 10-5 Colorado
Los Angeles 4-2 San Diego