Yankees climb into a series tie with Red Sox

NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte and Nick Johnson showed the Boston Red Sox the grit that makes the New York Yankees so tough in October.

Pettitte fought off early struggles to hold down Boston's bashing batters, and the slumping Johnson hit a go-ahead, two-run homer that powered New York to a 6-2 victory Thursday night and tied the AL championship series.

Seven of Boston's first nine batters reached base, but the Red Sox failed to score after loading the bases in the first and got only one run in the opening two innings despite having six hits.

New York, coming off a 5-2 loss in the opener, went ahead on Johnson's two-run homer in the second off Derek Lowe and opened a 4-1 lead by the fifth.

Pettitte made it stand up, tying Greg Maddux for second with his 12th postseason win, one behind John Smoltz.

Jose Contreras pitched 1 1/3 innings and Mariano Rivera got the final three outs, combining with Pettitte to hold the Red Sox to four hits over the final seven innings. Jorge Posada added breathing room with a two-run double in the seventh off Scott Sauerbeck and fans serenaded Boston with chants of "1918" during the ninth, a reminder of how long it's been since the Red Sox last won the World Series.

The best-of-seven series resumes Saturday in Fenway Park, where former Red Sox great Roger Clemens pitches in Boston for the final time, opposed by current Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez.

Pettitte has often been the Yankees' October savior, called on to pick up his team when their postseason push was on the verge of spinning out of control. After New York lost the first-round opener to Minnesota, the 31-year-old left-hander pitched them to victory in Game 2, starting a run of three straight wins that put the Yankees back in the ALCS after a one-year absence.

He struggled mightily at the start against Boston, falling behind in the count to five of his first six batters. Gabe Kapler singled leading off but was caught stealing by Posada as Bill Mueller struck out. Boston then loaded the bases on singles by Nomar Garciappara and Manny Ramirez (his fifth straight hit), and a walk to David Ortiz. But Pettitte got out of trouble when Kevin Millar popped out.

Jason Varitek doubled leading off the second, and scored on singles by Trot Nixon and Damian Jackson, but Kapler bounced into a double play and Mueller grounded out. That started a run in which Pettitte retired 10 of 11 batters, challenging and beating the best offense in the major leagues with high fastballs and cutters that moved across the outside corner.

Pettitte, starting on six days' rest, came out after 118 pitches, allowing two runs and nine hits over 6 2-3 innings. Contreras relieved with a runner on first and got Garciaparra to pop out on his first pitch.

When Boston lost out to the Yankees in the bidding for Contreras in December, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino called New York the "Evil Empire," causing a new round of Northeast sniping between the rivals.

Johnson, meanwhile, woke up a New York offense that was flustered a night earlier by Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs. After Posada walked leading off the second and Hideki Matsui hit into a forceout, Johnson hit a long drive over the right-field wall. Johnson had been in a 1-for-33 slump dating to the regular season, which included a 1-for-16 (.063) skid in the playoffs. He also had been 2-for-14 against Lowe, whose relief performance at Oakland on Monday night preserved a lead and got Boston to the ALCS.

Bernie Williams had an RBI single for the Yankees in the third, then hit a double in the fifth and scored on a single by Matsui for a 4-1 lead. Varitek hit a solo homer for Boston in the sixth.