It didn’t rain on Sunday but it got progressively hotter as day turned into night. And a whole lot more humid.

The Red Sox, in desperate need of  a win, had their second-best pitcher on the mound–Ace 1B–in Jon Lester. The Yanks countered with Andy Pettitte, who has been throwing the ball well of late. Pettitte wasn’t dynamite early, but he escaped trouble in the first five innings, giving up five hits and a couple of walks (93 pitches), and then retired the Sox 1-2-3 (striking out Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay) in the sixth, extending Boston’s scoreless inning streak to 30 innings. He set them down in order again in the seventh on just seven pitches.

Lester was sharper and more efficient, busting the right-handed hitters in on the hands with the fastball and mixing in his breaking stuff nicely. Through the first six, he struck out seven, five-looking, painting the outisde black with the heater. Derek Jeter reached second in the first inning, and Mark Teixeira made it to third in the fourth, but the Yanks could not bring them home. After Teixiera’s base hit, Lester retired the next nine batters.

Then Alex Rodriguez smacked Lester’s 95th pitch of the night (a 1-1 offering in the bottom of the seventh), over the wall in center field for the first run of the game. The shot was the first ball the Yankees managed get into the outfield all night. Next, Lester fell behind Jorge Posada 2-0 before the Yankee catcher singled to right. He moved to second on a soft ground out by Nick Swisher and went on to third on Robnison Cano’s ground out to second. Dustin Pedrioa, keeping his body low, moved to his right, smothered the ball and saved a run from scoring. Melky Cabrera grounded out to Youkilis to end it.

Phil Coke relieved Pettitte in the eighth and struck Jacoby Ellsbury out looking before giving up a single to Pedrioa. Watching at home, I pleaded for Phil Hughes to enter the game. I had a bad feeling about Victor Martinez, who ripped Coke’s first two pitches foul down the third base line. Martinez looked at a change up high and outside, and then jerked another curve ball foul. The TV cameras showed Mariano Rivera standing the dugout, Hughes sitting down. Why not bring Rivera in? said Steve Phillips on the ESPN broadcast. Martinez crushed the next pitch deep into the night, the Sox finally scored, and the Yankee lead was history. Youkilis singled and Jason Bay hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Damage done, the Yanks faced the daunting task of going through Boston’s hard-throwing duo, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Paplebon, if they wanted to complete the four-game sweep. Godziller Matsui pinch-hit for Jerry Hairston Jr to lead-off the eighth, worked the count full, and grounded out to second. Jeter, moving away from an inside heater, checked his swing and grounded out to Bard and then Johnny Damon lined a solo homer into the bleachers in right field. Wait a second,  not to be out-done, Teixeria waited on a breaking ball–a flat curve that hung over the plate–and lofted a moon shot into the right field seats.

Are you kidding, me?

Bard walked Rodriguez and his night was over. Chants of Red Sox Suck echoed around the Stadium and I turned the volume off. Hideki Okajima came in and Posada lined a double to right sending Rodriguez to third. Swisher thought Okajima’s first pitch to him grazed his jersey. The second pitch, a breaking ball, came inside as well. Swisher swung at the third pitch, a fastball, and hit a Luis Sojo special up the middle, past a diving Nick Green. It wasn’t hit particularly hard, but it was good enough for a two-run single.

The Yanks had a three-run cushion but I didn’t feel safe. J.D. Drew singled to start the ninth against Rivera–cutter that didn’t cut enough. Mike Lowell missed a 1-0 mistake fastball, fouling it back, and then took a tough cutter just outside for ball two. He got another one, same spot and lined out to Swisher in right for the first out. Rivera threw strike one to Jason Varitek, just missed on the next two pitches and then threw strike two, a low fastball. Tek fouled off the next two cutters–both outside. Don’t get too cute here, Mo…Rivera followed with a cutter in on the hands, another foul. The crowd was standing. Posada set up inside and Varitek swung over a low cutter for strike three.

David Ortiz, who struck out looking to end Saturday’s game, pinch hit and fouled the first pitch back, a mistake. Hard to believe that wouldn’t have gone yard two years ago for Ortizzle.  The next pitch was up high for ball one and the following one was outside for ball two. Then, another fastball high and outside, ball three. Posada jogged out to the mound. Walking Ortiz would bring the tying run to the plate. Rivera threw a low fastball on the outside corner for strike two, Ortiz taking. Now, the crowd was going nuts, but the payoff pitch was low for ball four (Chris Woodward came in to pinch run for Ortiz).

My wife had already gone to bed. Sitting on my couch, my heart was racing. Ellsbury got jammed on the first pitch and fouled it back. He got jammed on the next pitch too and hit a harmless ground ball to Teixera who fielded it and stepped on first for the final out.

Final Score: Yanks 5, Red Sox 2. And Phil Coke gets the win, go figure that dumb luck.

I exhaled, mopped my brow, and smiled. Monday morning just got a whole lot better. This was nothing short of an enormous win on the biggest weekend of the season so far at Yankee Stadium III. The victory means the difference between the Yankees being ahead by 4.5 or 6.5, no small matter.

Nope, this couldn’t have gone any better. This is how you draw it up in your fantasies. And sometimes, as we know, midsummer night dreams do come true.

And that’s word to Todd Drew.