Boston pitcher Matt Clement picks himself up off the mound after he was hit in the leg by a ball batted by New York Yankees' Bernie Williams during the second inning of Wednesday. The Butler native got the loss in the Yankees' 8-6 win over the Red Sox.

BOSTON — Pitcher Matt Clement seemed to have things under control for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees Wednesday night in Fenway Park

The Butler native pitched well until being hit above his right ankle by Bernie Williams' single in the second inning, which helped the Yankees on their way to an 8-6 victory.

That "didn't help the cause," said Clement, who underwent X-rays that "looked all right," although he was limping after the game. "I wouldn't have gone out there and pitched if I didn't think I could do it the right way."

Before that, Clement retired the first five batters then walked Robinson Cano. After his injury and a visit to the mound from manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Al Nipper, Clement walked Terrence Long to load the bases then hit Kelly Stinnett with a pitch. Cabrera's two-run single and Derek Jeter's RBI double made it 4-2.

That gave Jeter 1,999 hits, one shy of becoming the eighth Yankees with 2,000. He went hitless in his other four at-bats.

Clement struggled through the next two innings without a run but gave up another four runs in the fifth when the first four batters singled. Alex Rodriguez and Cano started the rally before Williams and Long each singled in a run.

Clement left after striking out Stinnett, but Melky Cabrera greeted Julian Tavarez with another two-run single, making it 8-5.

Clement (4-4) gave up eight runs on nine hits and four walks in 4Z\c innings. He also struck out four.

New York reliever Kyle Farnsworth helped seal the Red Sox's fate when he struck out David Ortiz with the bases loaded in the eighth — the fourth time the slugger fanned in the game, overcoming another rocky outing by Randy Johnson.

"If you make pitches against anybody you can get them out," Farnsworth said. "He's definitely been labeled a Yankee killer."

Cabrera, in just his 18th major-league game, was a Red Sox killer with two-run singles in four-run rallies in the second and fifth. Cabrera, who had one career RBI before getting four Wednesday, batted leadoff in place of Johnny Damon, who sat out with an injured foot.

The Yankees also played without catcher Jorge Posada, who has an injured hamstring, but still won their second straight game despite two long homers by Manny Ramirez.

Johnson allowed at least five runs for the sixth time in eight starts before improving after Jason Varitek's single put Boston ahead 5-4 with no outs in the third. Johnson struck out the next three batters and retired nine of the last 10 he faced before leaving after five innings.

Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 opportunities.