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When Andy Pettitte decides to retire, he will be remembered by Yankee fans as one of the best pitchers in pinstripes. With the way Pettitte is pitching this season, retirement may not come for several more years.

On Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Pettitte became the 35th pitcher to win 200 games as a Yankee as New York knocked off Houston, 4-3, in the opener of the three game interleague series. Pettitte joined Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing as the only pitchers to win at least 200 games for New York.

Pettitte (8-1), who pitched for Houston from 2004-06, allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over 7.1 innings. He also struck out four and walked one. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save.

Houston starter Brett Myers (4-4) settled down after a rocky start. In seven innings, Myers allowed four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The Yankees collected three hits in the first inning, but only tallied two hits for the rest of the game.

Friday was the seventh anniversary of Houston’s combined no-hitter against New York.

New York grabbed an early lead with a three-run bottom of the first. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out on a double, walk, and single. Nick Swisher picked up an RBI when he walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in the first run. After Jorge Posada struck out, Francisco Cervelli delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

Houston immediately answered with a pair of runs in the top of the second. With runners at first and third and two outs, Tommy Manzella roped a two-run double down the right field line to cut the Yankees lead to 3-2.

Kevin Russo walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth and stole second. After Myers retired the next two hitters, Mark Teixeira came through with a bloop single to shallow right to score Russo and give the Yankees a two-run lead.

Houston scratched across a run in the top of the eighth. Manzella led off with a single and pinch hitter Humberto Quintero hit a ground ball to second that appeared to be a double play. However, Derek Jeter dropped the throw from Robinson Cano and everyone was safe.

After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Joba Chamberlain relieved Pettitte. Jeff Keppinger’s sacrifice fly cut the Yankees lead to 4-3, but Chamberlain struck out Lance Berkman to end the inning.

Houston and New York will continue their interleague series on Saturday. Wandy Rodriguez (3-8, 4.95) will start for the Astros, while the Yankees will counter with Javier Vazquez (5-5, 5.63). First pitch is set for 1:05 pm.

5 p.m. ET.

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Baltimore rookie pitcher Jake Arrieta had the difficult task of facing the New York Yankees in his major league debut.

However, Arrieta held the powerful Yankees offense in check and picked up his first big league win in the Orioles’ 4-3 win Thursday night at Camden Yards.

Baltimore ended a 10-game losing streak to New York and avoided being swept by the Yankees for the third time this season. New York finished their six-game road trip with a 3-3 record.

Arrieta (1-0), who posted a 1.85 ERA in 12 appearances at Triple-A Norfolk, allowed three runs on only four hits over six innings. All four Yankee hits were extra-base hits. He struck out six and walked four. David Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth for his first career save.

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett (6-4), who entered the game with an 11-2 career record against Baltimore, lost his second consecutive start. In 6.2 innings, he allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Baltimore struck first in the bottom of the first inning. With runners at second and third and one out, Ty Wigginton delivered a sacrifice fly for the first run. After Luke Scott was hit by a pitch, Adam Jones’s RBI single gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

After one out, Robinson Cano doubled to right field. Cano finished the game 1-for-3 and is batting .489 (23-47) against Orioles pitching this season. He eventually scored on Curtis Granderson’s two-out RBI triple.

The Yankees tied the game and took the lead in the top of the third. Chad Moeller led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on Derek Jeter’s run-scoring double. Nick Swisher gave New York a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Burnett had retired 10 straight hitters going into the bottom of the fifth inning. But Scott Moore ended Burnett’s streak with a game-tying home run over the right centerfield wall.

After the Yankees left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Baltimore reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Scott tripled with one out and scored on Jones’s RBI double to give the Orioles a 4-3 advantage.

Baltimore relievers Frank Mata, Will Ohman and Hernandez held New York hitless over the final three innings. New York was held to five hits or less for the second time in their last six games. The Yankees totaled five hits in their 6-1 loss at Toronto last Friday.

New York will return to interleague action on Friday when Houston visits Yankee Stadium.

Brett Myers (4-3, 3.01) will start for the Astros, while the Yankees will counter with Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.47). New York is 5-1 all-time against Houston; however, the only Astros win was a combined no-hitter in an 8-0 win on June 11, 2003.

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Since the Yankees lost their first game against Baltimore on April 27 they have had little trouble handling the Orioles.

On Tuesday night, New York hit three home runs, including a grand slam, en route to a 12-7 win at Camden Yards.

New York improved to 17-3 in their last 20 games against Baltimore while the Orioles lost for the 11^th time in their last 12 games.

The Yankees immediately scored in the top of the first off Orioles starter Kevin Millwood (0-7). Derek Jeter led off with a walk, and Nick Swisher followed with his 10^th home run of the season over the center field wall. Swisher entered the game batting .343 (12-35) with three home runs in his career against Millwood.

New York increased their lead to six with one swing of the bat in the top of the third. With a runner at first and two outs, Robinson Cano singled and Jorge Posada walked. Curtis Granderson then cleared the bases with a grand slam over the right field scoreboard to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead. It was Granderson’s fourth home run of the season and his second career grand slam.

Baltimore’s first two runs crossed the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton led off with singles, but Yankee starter Phil Hughes retired the next two hitters. With two outs, Matt Wieters delivered an RBI single to center. Lou Montanez followed with a bloop RBI single to cut the Yankees lead to 6-2.

Baltimore added another two-out run in the bottom of the fifth. Julio Logo singled to lead off the inning before the next two hitters were retired. However, Wigginton delivered a run-scoring single to cut the Orioles deficit to three. 

New York put the game out of reach with a six-run seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Brett Gardner collected an RBI with a bloop single to shallow left center. After two outs, Swisher cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center. Swisher finished the game with five RBI’s. Mark Teixeira completed the scoring spree with his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot to give the Yankees a 12-3 advantage.

The Orioles scored the final four runs of the game, but it was not enough to overcome the Yankees offensive onslaught. Adam Jones hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth off Yankees reliever Chad Gaudin. In the bottom of the ninth, Markakis completed the scoring with a two-run double.

Hughes (8-1) earned the win after allowing three runs on nine hits with four strikeouts. Millwood, who won 13 games last season, remained winless on the season after allowing six runs on 10 hits. He struck out six and walked five.

New York and Baltimore will resume their three-game series on Wednesday at Camden Yards. CC Sabathia (5-3, 4.14) will start for the Yankees, while the Orioles will counter with Chris Tillman (0-1, 7.71). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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After only scoring three runs over the first two games of the series, New York’s four-run outburst in the eighth inning lifted the Yankees to a 4-3 win over Toronto Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

New York ended a two-game losing streak with the win. The loss prevented Toronto from sweeping a series against New York for the first time since 2003.  

Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the eighth inning, New York finally broke through offensively. Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch from Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow to lead off the inning. After Scott Downs (1-5) relieved Morrow, he hit Brett Gardner. Derek Jeter followed with a run-scoring double for the Yankees first run of the game.

With runners at second and third and one out, Brett Gardner scored the tying run after a wild pitch by reliever Jason Frasor. After Alex Rodriguez struck out, Robinson Cano delivered a two-run single to left field to give the Yankees a 4-2 advantage.  

Toronto got one run back in the bottom of the eighth off Yankee reliever Joba Chamberlain. Former Yankee, Jose Molina, led off with a double and scored on Fred Lewis’s RBI single. Damaso Marte struck out Adam Lind to end the eighth and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 13^th save of the season.

Yankee starter Javier Vasquez (5-5) did not allow a hit over the first 5.2 innings. Lind, who had walked earlier in the game, received a free pass with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Vernon Wells followed with Toronto’s first hit of the game, a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead. It was Wells 23^rd career home run against the Yankees.

Wells home run was the only hit Vasquez allowed in seven innings. He allowed two runs while striking out a season-high nine and walked four.

Morrow received a no decision despite limiting New York to one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. Morrow entered the game with an ERA of 6.00.

After an off day on Monday, New York will resume their road trip in Baltimore on Tuesday. The Yankees are 8-1 against the Orioles this season. Phil Hughes (7-1, 2.54) will start for New York, while Baltimore will counter with Kevin Milwood (0-6, 4.29). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.      

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New York and Minnesota didn’t expect to finish their Tuesday game more than 22 hours after the first pitch, but in a game that took two days to complete, Derek Jeter’s sixth inning home run was the only offense in a 1-0 Yankees win at Target Field.

The Yankees recorded their first 1-0 win since Sept. 20, 2008. The Twins lost for the fifth time in their last seven games.

Just after Orlando Hudson struck out to end the bottom of the fifth inning, the game was suspended Tuesday night due to a thunderstorm. The Yankees and Twins resumed the game at 5:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Facing reliever Brian Duensing (2-1), Jeter was the second hitter after the game resumed in the top of the sixth, and he connected on his fifth home run of the season, over the left center field wall.

Jeter was also a key figure in the bottom of the sixth.

Minnesota had runners at second and third with two outs after Justin Morneau walked and Jason Kubel doubled. Delmon Young then hit a ball that Jeter backhanded, and used his jump throw to first to retire Young and end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Jim Thome walked with one out. However, Denard Span grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game as Mariano Rivera recorded his ninth save.

Minnesota put runners at first and second in each of the first two innings but failed to score off Yankees starter A.J. Burnett (5-2). The Twins also stranded a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth before the game was suspended.

Both starting pitchers tossed five scoreless innings before the game was suspended on Tuesday. Burnett limited the Twins to only three hits while striking out five and walking two.

Scott Baker was equally as effective, holding the Yankees to three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

New York and Minnesota will play the second game of their three game series later tonight.

Andy Pettitte (5-1, 2.68) will start for the Yankees, while the Twins will counter with Francisco Liriano (4-3, 3.25). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.

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Trailing 9-7 in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Rodriguez tied the game with a two-run home run off Jonathan Papelbon. Three batters later, Marcus Thames’ two-out, two-run walk off homer lifted New York to an 11-9 win over Boston Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees won despite blowing an early 5-0 lead. The Red Sox lost their eighth consecutive game at Yankee Stadium.

Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the ninth with a double that eluded Darnell McDonald’s diving attempt in left field. It was Gardner’s fourth hit in four at bats against Papelbon.

After Gardner advanced to third on Mark Teixeira’s fly out, he scored on Rodriguez’s game-tying home run. Rodriguez hit the first pitch from Papelbon over the left center field wall.

With two outs, Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch. Thames then stepped to the plate and deposited the first pitch from Papelbon over the left field wall for the win. It was Thames’ second career walk-off home run. The Yankees earned their first walk-off win of the season after 15 game-ending hits last year.

Javier Vasquez (2-4), who is scheduled to start Friday against the Mets, earned the win after facing only one batter. He struck out Kevin Youkilis to end the top of the ninth.

Papelbon (1-3) suffered the loss and his first blown save of the season. He allowed four runs on three hits, including two home runs. It was his first blown save in the regular season since July 28, 2009, ending a streak of 22 consecutive saves.

New York appeared to be headed for a route after a five-run first inning off Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk. Rodriguez, who finished with four RBI, plated two runs with a single. Robinson Cano followed with a run-scoring single. After Cervelli’s run-scoring double, Thames completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly RBI to give New York a 5-0 lead.

Boston scratched across their first run in the top of the second off Yankees starter Phil Hughes. Adrian Beltre’s RBI single was the only run the Red Sox scored on a hit other than a home run. The Yankees answered in the bottom half of the inning on Teixeira’s RBI single.

The Red Sox scored the next four runs to close the deficit to one. In the top of the fourth, David Ortiz blasted his 29th career home run against New York. After a pair of two out hits in the top of the fifth, J.D. Drew hit his sixth home run to cut the Yankees lead to 6-5.

New York picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth on Thames’ run scoring double that knocked Matsuzaka out of the game. Thames finished with four RBI on the evening.

Tim Wakefield entered the game and pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. While Wakefield kept the Yankees off the scoreboard, the Red Sox grabbed their first lead of the game.

Boston once again closed the deficit to one on Victor Martinez’s solo home run in the top of the sixth. In the top of the eighth, Drew led off with single against Chan Ho Park. Youkilis then gave Boston the lead with a two-run home run.

Martinez immediately followed with his second home run of the game to put Boston in front 9-7. He hit his home runs from both sides of the plate as the Red Sox finished with five home runs.

After another exciting Red Sox-Yankees game, both teams will finish their brief two-game series on Tuesday. Josh Beckett (1-1, 7.46) will start for Boston, while CC Sabathia (4-2, 3.71) will counter for New York. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.      

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Facing another series sweep in the Bronx, the Twins pulled off some magic usually reserved for the Yankees.

Jason Kubel’s two-out, eighth-inning grand slam off Mariano Rivera powered Minnesota to a 6-3 win over New York Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

With the win, Minnesota ended a 12-game losing streak in New York. The Twins had not won a game at Yankee Stadium since July 4, 2007.

New York lost for just the third time in 15 home games this season.

Trailing 3-1 in the top of the eighth, Minnesota loaded the bases on two singles and a walk against Joba Chamberlain (1-2). After Michael Cuddyer’s infield single with two outs, Rivera entered the game and forced in a run by walking Jim Thome. It was Rivera’s first bases-loaded walk since 2005.

Kubel, who entered the game hitting .224, then stepped to the plate. He drove a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall for his third home run and sixth career grand slam.

Rivera allowed his first grand slam since Bill Selby’s blast for Cleveland on July 14, 2002. In addition, Rivera’s major league record of 51 consecutive converted save opportunities was snapped. The Yankee closer also allowed his first runs of the season after 11 scoreless innings.

Trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth, New York rallied against Twins closer Jon Rauch. Randy Winn and Ramiro Pena led off the inning with singles. However, with the tying run at the plate, Rauch struck out Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner, and Mark Teixeira to end the game for his 10th save.

Minnesota grabbed an early lead in the top of the second inning on Justin Morneau’s leadoff home run off Yankees starter Sergio Mitre. Despite allowing Morneau’s home run, Mitre was effective in receiving a no-decision. He limited the Twins to one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk in five innings.    

New York immediately answered in the bottom of the second. After Jorge Posada singled and Marcus Thames walked with two outs, Winn’s two-out, two-run triple gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The Yankees had another scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth against Twins starter Nick Blackburn. With runners at first and third and one out, Teixeira tallied an RBI on a sinking line drive that went in and out of the glove of center fielder Denard Span. It was Teixeira’s 20th RBI in 15 games this month.

Blackburn escaped further damage by retiring Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano with runners at second and third and one out.

Blackburn earned the win after allowing three runs on nine hits over seven innings. He also struck out four and walked one. Blackburn became the first Twins pitcher since Johan Santana in 2007 to earn a victory at Yankee Stadium.

New York will open a brief two-game series against Boston at Yankee Stadium Monday night. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 6.35) will start for Boston, while Phil Hughes (5-0, 1.38) will counter for New York. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Alex Rodriguez’s 19th career grand slam gave New York a lead they would not relinquish in an 8-4 win over Minnesota Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Joba Chamberlain (1-1) struck out the side in the eighth inning to earn the win. Scott Baker (4-3) suffered the loss despite striking out nine in six innings.

Minnesota’s struggles at Yankee Stadium continued. Including last year’s postseason, the Twins have lost 11 straight games in New York. Their last win in the Bronx was a 6-2 triumph on July 4, 2007. Since 2002, Minnesota is 3-24 at Yankee Stadium.

With New York trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees had runners at second and third and no outs. Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked with one out, and reliever Matt Guerrier entered to face Rodriguez.

After just missing a double down the third base line, Rodriguez blasted his 19th career grand slam over the left field wall to give the Yankees a 7-4 advantage. Of Rodriguez’s five career hits against Guerrier, four have been home runs.

Rodriguez’s grand slam was his 587th career home run. He moved past Frank Robinson for sole possession of seventh place.

Earlier in the game, both teams squandered golden scoring opportunities.

In the top of the second against A.J. Burnett, Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs on a single, walk, and error. After Nick Punto earned an RBI on a four-pitch walk, Burnett induced Denard Span to hit into a 1-2-3 double play. Burnett then struck out Orlando Hudson to end the inning and limit the damage.

Baker only allowed one hit over the first three innings. However, Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the fourth with his second home run of the season. After the next two hitters reached, Robinson Cano’s RBI ground rule double down the right field line gave New York a 2-1 lead. With runners at second and third and no outs, Baker ended the rally by striking out the next three hitters.

The Yankees inability to score more than one run in the bottom of the fourth allowed the Twins to tie the game in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Joe Mauer hit his second home run of the season. Mauer finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBI.

The Yankees immediately answered with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Gardner singled with two outs and scored on Mark Teixeira’s run-scoring double. It was Teixeira’s 17th RBI of the month.

Minnesota prevented further damage when Delmon Young threw out Teixeira as he tried to score on Robinson Cano’s single. The final Yankee run scored on Francisco Cervelli’s RBI triple in the eighth.

After allowing a season-high nine runs at Boston on Sunday, Burnett received a no decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out four and walked four. Baker gave up five runs on 10 hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Minnesota and New York will resume their three-game series on Saturday. Francisco Liriano (4-1, 2.36) will start for the Twins, while the Yankees will counter with Andy Pettitte (4-0, 2.08). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.

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Justin Verlander pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, and Miguel Cabrera and Brennan Boesch homered to lead Detroit to a 6-0 triumph Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park. The Tigers won three of four from the Yankees in a series that featured three shutouts.

New York was shutout twice in a series for the first time since May 11-13, 1999 against the Angels. Detroit won for the fourth time in their last six games.

The pitching match-up between Verlander and CC Sabathia featured a pair of 19-game winners from last season. However, Verlander (4-2) was dominant throughout the afternoon. He limited New York to four hits while striking out four and walking four.

The Yankees had a runner at second base in the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh innings but failed to score.

After Verlander left, New York put runners at first and second with one out in the top of the eighth against Detroit reliever Joel Zumaya. However, Juan Miranda fouled out, and Don Kelly robbed Randy Winn of an extra-base hit with a sliding catch in front of the left field wall.

While New York was unable to solve Verlander, Detroit opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. Gerald Laird, who entered the game hitting only .157, blooped a check-swing RBI single to right field to score Boesch from second.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cabrera and Boesch hit back-to-back home runs over the right field wall to give Detroit a 3-0 lead. Cabrera smacked his eighth home run of the season, while Boesch collected his fifth RBI of the series.

Detroit completed the scoring with a three-run sixth inning. After a pair of singles, Cabrera delivered a two-run double off the center field wall. Later in the inning, Laird produced his second two-out, run scoring hit with an RBI double to score Cabrera and give the Tigers a 6-0 advantage.

Sabathia (4-2) allowed nine hits and a season-high six runs over six innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Ivan Nova pitched two scoreless innings of relief in his Major League debut.

After a 3-4 road trip, New York will return to Yankee Stadium for a weekend series against Minnesota. The Twins will send Scott Baker (4-2, 4.57) to the mound Friday against A.J. Burnett (4-1, 3.40). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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After being held scoreless earlier in the day, New York responded with their own shutout in an 8-0 triumph over Detroit Wednesday evening at Comerica Park. The teams split the day-night doubleheader with the Tigers winning the afternoon affair, 2-0.

With the win, New York ended a season-high three-game losing streak. Detroit’s two runs in the bottom of the sixth in the first game were the only two Tiger runs scored in the doubleheader.

Phil Hughes (5-0) put together another impressive outing and lowered his ERA to 1.38. He limited Detroit to five hits over seven innings while striking out eight and walking one. Mariano Rivera, on the mound for the first time since April 30, pitched a perfect ninth to complete the Yankees third shutout of the season.

After failing to produce any runs earlier in the day, New York immediately scored in the top of the first inning. Brett Gardner, who finished with three hits, singled and stole second. He eventually scored on a two-out RBI single by Alex Rodriguez. Mark Teixeira added another two-out run-scoring single in the third to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. It was Teixeira’s first hit in 14 career at bats against Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (1-2).

Hughes made the lead stand by thwarting a pair of Detroit scoring opportunities. Miguel Cabrera led off the bottom of the second with a double, but Hughes struck out the next three hitters to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out. However, Hughes struck out Alex Avila and induced Don Kelly to pop out to end the threat.

Bonderman pitched effectively over seven innings, but dropped to 4-8 in his career against the Yankees. He allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts.

New York broke the game open with a six-run ninth inning. With one out, Francisco Cervelli delivered an RBI single off Phil Coke to extend the lead to 3-0. Alfredo Figaro relieved Coke and got the second out on a force out at home. However, Gardner followed with an RBI infield single and Teixeira added a two-run single. After Rodriguez’s RBI double, Teixeira scampered home on a wild pitch for the sixth run of the inning.

New York and Detroit will complete their four-game series Thursday afternoon. CC Sabathia (4-1, 3.04) will take the mound for the Yankees, and the Tigers will counter with Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.50). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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