Martinez finds range to lead Red Sox to victory

Pedro Martinez, of the Boston Red Sox, struck out 15 batters to help his team to a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.

Pedro Martinez, of the Boston Red Sox, struck out 15 batters to help his team to a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.

The White Sox, the surprise team of the season with a record of 61 wins and 36 losses coming into the game, had yet to face Martinez, one of only three players in major league history to win a Cy Young Award for pitching in both the National and American Leagues.

Martinez showed impeccable control and baffled the White Sox with his blazing fastball, paralysing breaking ball and his trademark change-up. Of his 131 pitches, 95 were strikes.

Martinez's 15 strike-outs were two short of his season high of 17, against Tampa Bay. It was the fourth successive game he has managed at least 10, the 37th time he has done it in a Red Sox uniform and the 64th time in his career.

The only run of the game came in the fourth inning when Israel Alcantara reached second base after a throwing error by the shortstop Jose Valentin and scored on a single.

In New York, Denny Neagle, who was disappointed that he did not play the whole game in his debut for the Yankees in the Bronx last Tuesday, managed to complete the job this time, being hit just four times as he recorded his 100th career win in a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Since being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds, Neagle has helped stabilise the Yankee rotation. He walked one, struck out eight and retired 22 of the last 25 batters he faced.

At Minnesota, Manny Ramirez hit a two-run single as the Cleveland Indians avoided a rare three-game sweep with an 8-3 victory over the Twins.