Boston ? Pedro Martinez joked that after 83 seasons without a championship, Boston might have a new ally.

“Maybe the Bambino was looking out for me today. Would you believe that?” he said after pitching the Red Sox to a 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday night.

Boston's Pedro martinez delivers a pitch against New York. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees on Thursday at Boston and extended their lead in the AL East to two games.

“Babe Ruth was one of the greatest men for the community. I don’t think he would want to curse not even his worst enemy.”

Martinez won his seventh straight decision to open the season, matching last year’s win total. His seventh win last season also came against the Yankees, 3-0 on May 29 when he improved to 7-1 with his first victory over them in more than a year. He showed little tolerance for those who say “The Curse of the Bambino” kept the Red Sox from winning the World Series.

“I don’t believe in curses,” he said then. “Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I’ll drill him.”

On Thursday, the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees wasn’t as important as the result to both teams.

“The rivalry doesn’t concern us,” New York manager Joe Torre said. “Being two games out of first place, that bothers us.”

The Red Sox (31-13) lead the AL East by two games over the Yankees (31-17). Boston has the AL’s best record, while New York lost the second spot to Seattle, which won Thursday.

“They were playing well in April when we were here,” said Jason Giambi, whose double in the ninth was one of five hits by the Yankees. “They seem to be playing even better now.”

Boston, which lost 10 of its last 11 games against the Yankees last season, is 4-1 against them this season. The Yankees lost their second straight game after winning six in a row.

Martinez struck out 10 in seven innings, allowing one run, four hits and two walks. He started last season at 6-0 but finished 7-3 without a win after his comments about the Bambino. He was troubled for much of the season by shoulder problems.

“Whenever I have to reach back and get a good fastball, 95 or 96 (mph), if I have it in the kitchen, I’ll bring it out,” he said. Last year, “I wasn’t feeling fine from the get-go. … This year, so far, I feel fine.”

After getting a no-decision in a shaky outing on opening day against Toronto, the three-time Cy Young award winner has been outstanding. The Red Sox have won all nine of his starts since then. And in the last six, Martinez has allowed no earned runs twice, one three times and three in another game.

Martinez left after throwing 104 pitches. Tim Wakefield pitched a perfect eighth before Ugueth Urbina earned his 15th save in 16 chances.

“The way he was pitching, the only thing we thought we could do was get him tired,” Torre said. “We had a lot of 3-2 counts but that didn’t slow him down.”

Through five innings, Martinez struck out eight and allowed just two hits, a single in the first that extended Derek Jeter’s hitting streak to 14 games and a double in the fifth by Jorge Posada. He also walked Bernie Williams in the fourth but none of the three runners advanced.

Mariners 7, Devil Rays 3

Seattle James Baldwin settled down after a rocky first inning and helped Seattle snap a four-game losing streak.

Ichiro Suzuki and Ruben Sierra had three hits apiece and John Olerud hit a three-run homer for the Mariners, who broke out of a slump with 11 hits. The Devil Rays had won a four straight games.

Four of the first five batters reached base against Baldwin (4-4) as the Devil Rays took a 2-0 lead. Then Baldwin retired 20 of the next 21 batters, including the final 18 he faced.

Orioles 11, Athletics 3

Oakland, Calif. Chris Singleton and Marty Cordova each homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore beat up Mark Mulder and Oakland.

Singleton extended his season-high hitting streak to 12 games with a three-run homer off Mulder (2-4), who has lost three straight since returning from the disabled list.

Cordova hit his fourth homer, a three-run shot off Mike Holtz in the eighth.

Sidney Ponson (3-3) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.