NEW YORK -- A first-time All-Star at age 31, Steven Wright traveled across the country and never got to pitch.That gave the AL ERA leader an early start to the second half, and the knuckleballer pitched the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 5-3 Friday night.Wright originally was slated to pitch Saturday, but Red Sox manager John Farrell called him at 3 p.m. Thursday and asked him to start the second-half opener.I wasnt expecting it, but I had a feeling there could be a good chance because I didnt throw in the All-Star Game, Wright said.Pitching on eight days rest, Wright (11-5) won for the eighth time in nine decisions. Ryan Hanigan, Travis Shaw and Xander Bogaerts homered off Michael Pineda (3-9) as Boston won its fifth straight.When Wright arrived in San Diego, AL manager Ned Yost informed the pitcher he likely would not appear.Its definitely a bummer, Wright said. I was going to be the emergency, because they didnt want to end in a tie, and I was the only guy that was capable of going multiple innings. And I was like, fine.He needed just 39 pitches to get through four innings against the Yankees and retired his first 14 batters before Alex Rodriguez hit a slow hopper the pitcher couldnt come up with on a bare-hand try about 45 feet from the plate on the third base side.There was quite a bit of violence to the knuckleball, Farrell said.New York closed the gap with a three-run sixth, when Wright hit Chase Headley on the thigh with a pitch and loaded the bases with a walk to Jacoby Ellsbury. Carlos Beltran had a two-run single on a ball that zipped past first baseman Hanley Ramirez and down the right-field line, and Brian McCann hit an RBI grounder as Ramirez bounced his throw to second, eliminating the possibility of an inning-ending double play.I gave up one hard-hit ball the entire night. It just happened to be with the bases loaded, Wright said.He improved to 4-1 against the Yankees, allowing three runs and three hits in six innings as his ERA rose from 2.68 to 2.78.Hanigans third-inning homer was his first since last Aug. 19 off Clevelands Corey Kluber, and the ball was caught by reliever Robbie Ross Jr., who stuck out his cap to snag it in the visitors bullpen in left field.When that ball was hit, I was like, that balls going out, Im going right for it. I got 4 1/2, Ross said of his season total. The half was the one where Brock (Holt) hit it off the top of the fence and I caught it.Shaw hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Bogaerts made it 5-0 with a two-run drive in the sixth.It kind of looked like we needed a time through the order to get back in sync after the break, Farrell said.Brad Ziegler and Ross followed Wright with an inning apiece, and Koji Uehara finished the four-hitter for his fifth save, his third since closer Craig Kimbrel hurt a knee.Pineda (3-9) gave up five runs and five hits in five-plus innings, leaving him with a 5.56 ERA and 18 home runs allowed in 18 starts this season. New York (44-45) is under .500 after the All-Star break for the first time since 1995.Its one game, guys, Beltran said. We have to focus on winning series, especially against teams that are in our division.IN THE SEATSIndiana Gov. Mike Pence, announced by Donald Trump as his pick for Republican vice presidential nominee, was in the crowd of 47,459, the Yankees fourth home sellout this season.WHAT, ME WORRY?David Ortiz laughed at the notion his comments this week that Boston should sign Edwin Encarnacion to replace him next season could be construed as improper.Tampering? I dont write no paycheck, Ortiz said. I can say whatever I want. Im not a GM or a team owner. If I say tomorrow that I want to play with LeBron James, am I tampering, too?TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa, on the disabled list with a right shoulder impingement, threw a 25-pitch bullpen. He has another session scheduled for Sunday and likely will be activated when he becomes eligible Tuesday. ... RHP Joe Kelly allowed a hit in two innings and struck out three for Triple-A Pawtucket against Charlotte. ... Ramirez and Holt played for the first time since July 8 against Tampa Bay, when Ramirez fouled a ball off his left shin and Holt sprained his left ankle.UP NEXTLHP CC Sabathia (5-6) is scheduled to start Saturday for New York, and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3) for Boston following his recall from the minors on Friday. Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees. Nike Air Max Thea Rabatt . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Nike Air Max 97 Sverige . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-270-rabatt/max-270-herr.html . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Air Max Plus Rea . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Air Max 200 Sverige . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter have retired. So too, for now, has Alex Rodriguez. And in a few weeks, David Ortiz will begin his life after baseball.Somehow, though, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will go on.Over the past few years, the age-old grudge match has cooled. And with the teams coming together for a four-game series beginning Thursday night at Fenway Park, Yankees beat writer Andrew Marchand and Red Sox beat writer Scott Lauber discuss when the rivalry might be great again.Marchand: The rivalry may be returning to its glory much earlier than anticipated. The first real ingredient that revs up Yankees-Red Sox is both teams being really, really good. This year, they are pretty good. The Red Sox look to be better. But Boston has so many young players and, with their financials, could have a pretty awesome run on the horizon. With the Yankees becoming sellers on the deadline, their farm system is suddenly among the best in baseball. Plus, they are saving up all their nickels and dimes and will likely be big spenders in the next two or three years. It could get very cool in a hurry.Lauber: Want to know why the rivalry has, in the words of one Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (remember him?), lost a little bit of its luster? Try this: The Yanks and Sox havent made the playoffs in the same year since 2009 and havent won a postseason game in the same season since 2007. So, yeah, were a long way from Aaron (Bleeping) Boone and Jason Variteks mitt in A-Rods mug. Will Gary Sanchez ever feel such animosity for Yoan Moncada, and vice versa? Dueling for a division title or two would certainly help them get there. And to your point, Andrew, both teams are finally moving in the right direction, with younger, more homegrown cores. It might take another few years, but the rivalry is ripe for a renaissance.Marchand: I think it could be quicker. They are both on the verge of becoming, to borrow a Brian Cashman line, uber teams. You are right, that is what makes the rivalry run. There also needs to be big personalities. With A-Rod, Jeter and Mo gone, the Yankees dont have those legendary players. If a Bryce Harper is added to the collection in 2019, that will add spice. But I think Yankees and Red Sox fans are watching Moncada vs. Sanchez, etc. to see who can build a team more organically.Lauber: Yeah, Big Papis impending retirement doesnt exactly help in the big-personality department either. That said, the Steinbrenners deep pockets have always been a tried-and-true way to stoke the rivalry. And if the Yankees buy Harper (Why stop there? Manny Maachado, anyone?) after the 2018 season, it will go a long way toward stirring the pot again.dddddddddddd Heres the thing, though: The rivalry has always been heated among fans, but when it was at its frenzied peak during the 2003 and 04 postseasons, players on both sides seemed to genuinely dislike each other, too. With so many new, fresh faces on the teams, Im not sure youre going to see those feelings take root until David Price comes up-and-in on Sanchez in a big game, a la Pedro Martinez with Jeter and Jorge Posada.Marchand: No, you cant force the rivalry. We in the media (present parties excluded, of course) have sometimes ginned it up when its not really there. I would presume the bosses think it sells, but the fans know when it is real and when it is not. The players do, too. When you go in the clubhouse, most guys will give you the boilerplate answers that might be trite but work well enough in a story. However, when it is the real deal, you get the Whos your daddy? chants or all the A-Rod episodes. Thats what separates it. Still, the fans and media egging it on does create tension that eventually can explode on the field. It does take time. I do think a rebirth is upon us, but baseball is a funny game, making it difficult to predict when and how the heat will be added.Lauber: Oh, I dont think either of us are advocating that the honchos quit putting Yankees-Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball three times a year. (As if anything could really stop that from happening!) As Red Sox manager John Farrell said during A-Rods awkward final week at Fenway, the rivalry doesnt stop just because the faces change -- whether its Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, or Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk, or Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs, or Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez, or Karim Garcia and, well, you get the idea. And before the next generation takes over, Big Papi might have a few parting shots in the next couple weeks.Marchand: I agree, but I feel the next chapter is approaching a lot more quickly than it was before the trade deadline. The Red Sox looked like they were going in the right direction, but now the Yankees do too, on several levels. It should make it very fun in the next few years -- and, yes, this week.Lauber: Indeed, lets hope a few of those fresh faces (Im looking at you, Sanchez, and you, AL MVP candidate Mookie Betts)?step up and do something dramatic this week. The rivalry can certainly use a boost. ' ' '