NEW YORK -- It sure looked like Josh Beckett was laboring through the first inning Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. The hints to back such an assumption were 30 pitches and the blast by Jason Giambi that put the Red Sox in a quick 2-0 hole.

But Beckett sneered at such a suggestion with the same disdain he dismissed the Yankees for the rest of the night, or, for that matter, the way the Red Sox took aim at the offerings of future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. It all added up to a cozy 14-3 romp for the visitors in the opener of a three-game series.

"I wasn't outstanding in the first inning? I made one bad pitch," Beckett said. "My gameplan was the same in the second through the seventh inning as it was in the first. I wanted to attack the zone and I was fortunate they hit it at some guys and my guys played great defense behind me. ... Sometimes you get lucky and they hit it at people."

If Beckett was indeed lucky, perhaps he needed some. This was his fourth attempt at elusive win No. 4, and he finally got it.

The hard-throwing right-hander made his formal introduction to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry with a strong performance. Over seven innings, Beckett scattered six hits and three earned runs. He didn't walk anyone and notched seven K's.

For Beckett, the beauty of the night came in its simplicity.

"I think sometimes you just need a day where you can go out there and just let it fly," Beckett said. "Today was one of those days for me where I felt strong and you can just go out and throw every pitch as hard as you can and give every pitch 100 percent. Sometimes you need a day like that, and this was one of those days."

Johnson was not saying similar things in the home clubhouse. The towering lefty gave up five hits and seven runs (two earned) over 3 2/3 innings. He walked five batters and he threw two wild pitches, both of which wound up being costly. It was the Unit's shortest outing against the Red Sox since Sept. 7, 1991.

The momentum the Yankees seemed to build on Giambi's two-run launch to right seemed to end about as quickly as it was generated.

"I think [Beckett] got more competitive, if that's possible with him," said Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta. "At that point, you could see him turn it up to an even higher notch. He took it to a new level. His location was fantastic tonight. He rarely threw a fastball over the middle of the plate."

Then there was Beckett. This wound up being a sweet return to the Bronx for Beckett, who hadn't pitched at Yankee Stadium since his shutout in clinching Game 6 of the 2003 World Series.

"He's got great stuff," Giambi said. "His ball is explosive. He's got a live young arm, three different pitches and good stuff. He got back in control and shut us down."

The Boston bats flexed their muscles against an erratic Johnson, and parlayed a two-out error by Alex Rodriguez into three runs in the top of the third.

With runners on second and third, David Ortiz hit a hard grounder to A-Rod that could have ended the inning. But the New York third baseman couldn't get a handle on it, and Dustan Mohr scored Boston's first run. Johnson then committed a wild pitch, allowing Alex Gonzalez to score. And Manny Ramirez put the Sox in front for good, raking an RBI single.

Instead of settling down in the fourth, the Big Unit got into more trouble. Johnson unleashed another wild pitch, putting runners at second and third. Loretta came up with a big two-out two-run single on a 3-0 pitch.

"I had the green light," Loretta said. "I haven't had a lot of success off Randy, so I was thinking why not take a shot here and try and be aggressive, and it found a hole."

Ortiz kept the pressure on by smoking a double to left, and prompting Yankees manager Joe Torre to go to the bullpen.

Aaron Small came on for Johnson and, again, the Yankees cost themselves with a defensive miscue. This time, it was right fielder Melky Cabrera who dropped a wind-blown fly ball from Ramirez, allowing two more runs to score.

The Red Sox kept hacking with some of the production coming from unexpected places. Such was the case when Gonzalez clubbed a three-run homer in the fifth, marking his first long ball in a Boston uniform. In fact, Gonzalez had gone 181 at-bats between homers, last going deep against Eric Milton of the Reds on Aug. 5, 2005.

"He's been swinging the bat really well for about a week and a half," said Beckett. "I was joking with him one day at shortstop during BP about how he needed a joystick to get the ball so he could keep it away from some of the defenders."

If anyone seemed to have a joystick on this night, it was Beckett, who painted the corners like he owned them.

"I definitely felt stronger today than I have in about a week and a half," Beckett said. "I think I'm getting back to where I need to be."

The Red Sox hope he stays there.