Boston beans Yankees 5-2 in first game of ALCS

NEW YORK -- The Boston Red Sox won their first skirmish with the Evil Empire, putting aside curses and fatigue to burst ahead in the AL championship series.\nDavid Ortiz, Todd Walker and Manny Ramirez homered off a shaky Mike Mussina, and the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-2 Wednesday night.\nAll the chants and signs reminding Boston of its 85-year title drought only seemed to spur on the Red Sox against their old rivals, who have dominated their Northeast neighbors for decades.\nTim Wakefield befuddled New York with his knuckleball, taking a 5-0 lead into the seventh before he got wild. Three relievers from Boston's beleaguered bullpen completed the three-hitter.\nAfter traveling from Boston to Oakland Sunday night, then winning Game 5 Monday night and flying back across the country, the Red Sox seemed bleary eyed when they arrived at Yankee Stadium Tuesday. But when it came time to play, they had the energy and emotion, not New York, which had been off since winning its first-round series at Minnesota Sunday.\nEver since December, when Boston president Larry Lucchino called the Yankees the "Evil Empire," the Red Sox have played off imagery from "Star Wars," painting themselves as white knights trying to knock off the 26-time World Series champions.\nFollowing their stunning comeback from a 2-0 deficit against the Athletics, Lucchino even predicted Tuesday that the Red Sox, who haven't won the Series since trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 -- supposedly bringing on The Curse -- would have The Force on their side.\nYankees fans kept reminding the Red Sox of their title drought, screaming "1918," but the reminder just seemed to fuel the Red Sox, who flashed their power and rapped out 13 hits, including four by Ramirez, who grew up close to Yankee Stadium.\nGame 2 of the best-of-seven series is tonight with Derek Lowe of Boston facing New York's Andy Pettitte.