Lots of interesting stuff happened last night at a raucous Fenway Park, but most of it was Josh Beckett related:

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* - Some quick notes on Josh Beckett’s specific pitches last night (via Brooks Baseball): Beckett ended 13 atbats with his curveball last night, all against left handed batters, resulting in 0-for-13 with five strikeouts. He got one or two outs via his curve in all eight innings that he pitched… Beckett also threw 18 changeups, all to lefties, and found the strike zone on 11, resulting in 0-for-4 with one strikeout… In two starts, opponents are now 0-for-17 against Beckett’s curve, 0-for-11 against his changeup, and 7-for-31 (.226) with five of his six walks against his fastball… Overall, 81 of  Beckett’s 102 pitches last night were to left handed hitters.

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* – The Yankees’ CC Sabathia allowed 14 Red Sox to reach base last night, but allowed only one run. It was the first time in the majors since 2007 that a pitcher had allowed 14 or more baserunners and fewer than two runs.

Note this: The last time that a Yankee pitcher had such a start? Ron Guidry in 1982. The last time that an opposing pitcher had such a start against Boston? Baltimore’s Mike Mussina in 1993.

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* – Before taking the loss last night, Sabathia was 23-0 as a member of the Yankees when allowing one or zero earned runs.

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* – Last night, Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon combined to retire the first Yankees batter in all nine innings. It was the first time in 2011 that Sox pitchers have done it after it happened six times last year, four times in 2009, six times in 2008, and 10 times in 2007.

Note this: Not included above is last September 26, where Red Sox pitchers retired the Yankees first batter in each of the first nine innings, but allowed him to reach in the 10th inning. If you include that game, then it means that Red Sox pitchers have done it to the Yankees in three of the last nine games played between the two teams (and gone 2-1 in those games).

And this: The Red Sox have won three in a row and 14 of their last 19 when they’ve not allowed any leadoff batters to reach base.

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* – Beckett fanned 10 Yankees last night, the 11th time in his career (and sixth time as a Red Sox) that he’s struck out 10 or more in a game. Red Sox career leaders in double digit strikeout games:

72 – Pedro Martinez
68 – Roger Clemens
14 – John Lester

Note this: Beckett had not struck out 10 or more in any of his last 35 starts prior to last night.

And this: Beckett had fanned six through the first four innings last night. Prior to that, he had struck out six or more in just 10 of his last 22 starts.

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* – Boston now has seven RBI with the bases loaded in 2011, and Marco Scutaro has four of them. Since the start of last season, Scutaro is 9-for-16 with the bases loaded (.563), the third highest average in the majors in that span (min. 15 bases loaded AB):

.647 – Vladimir Guerrero (11-for-17)
.611 – Robinson Cano (11-for-18)
.563 – Marco Scutaro (9-for-16)

Hmmmm. All three in the AL East.

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* – Last night was just the fourth time since coming to Boston that Josh Beckett has recorded an eighth inning out in April. What’s more, he went more than seven innings last season only once.

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* – Beckett’s “game score” last night was 87, his second best mark since coming to Boston. The only better score (88) came in 2009 when he fired a three-hit shutout at Kansas City.

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* – What a change from Beckett’s recent history: Over last year plus this year’s first start, Beckett’s ERA in the first three innings was 3.74. His ERA from the fourth inning on: 7.49.

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* – After hitting just 24 line drives (the fewest in the AL) in their first eight games, averaging  just 3.0 per game, the Red Sox had nine liners last night. It was just the second time in their last 47 games that they’ve had nine or more line drives.

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* – The Red Sox used their eighth different batting order in nine games this season, which is on pace for their most ever in a season, set last year:

143 – 2010 (no batting order was used more than five times)
141 – 2004 (no order was used more than four times)
140 – 2000
136 – 2001

In 1984, the Red Sox used only 42 different lineups and the exact same one was used in 66 different games that season!

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