BOSTON — AL MVP Dustin Pedroia homered on the second pitch he saw this season and Josh Beckett struck out 10 in seven innings of two-hit ball to lead the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in a makeup of their rained-out opener.
Jason Varitek also homered for Boston in a rematch of last year’s AL championship series, which the Rays won in seven games to advance to the franchise’s first World Series.
Tampa Bay scored one run off Beckett (1-0) and two in the eighth off Hideki Okajima before Justin Masterson pitched out of a jam and Jonathan Papelbon got three outs for the save.
James Shields (0-1) gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.
White Sox 4, Royals 2
CHICAGO — Jim Thome hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, rallying Chicago past Kansas City in a season opener delayed a day because of bad weather.
The White Sox trailed 2-1 when Thome hit his 542nd career home run, connecting with two outs off Royals newcomer Kyle Farnsworth (0-1).
Thome’s shot gave Chicago the win on a day when Mark Buehrle struggled with his control, and it erased a solid outing by Kansas City’s Gil Meche, who pitched seven strong innings.
Alex Gordon homered for the Royals.
Octavio Dotel (1-0) struck out the side in the eighth after Clayton Richard threw two scoreless innings. Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
Blue Jays 5, Tigers 4
TORONTO — Rod Barajas hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Toronto rallied to beat Detroit.
The Blue Jays trailed 3-0 after seven before Scott Rolen hit a solo homer and Aaron
Hill connected for a go-ahead, three-run drive in the eighth.
B.J. Ryan (1-0) got the win despite allowing a tying homer to Brandon Inge in the ninth.
Adam Lind got the winning rally started with a one-out walk against Brandon Lyon (0-1). Pinch-runner Jose Bautista went to third on Rolen’s single to right and Lyle Overbay was walked intentionally to load the bases for Barajas, who lofted a fly ball into center field. Bautista scored without a throw from Curtis Granderson.
The Tigers wasted a terrific effort by Edwin Jackson, who allowed one hit over the first seven innings.
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