When both starting pitchers give up five runs in the first inning, you know this will be a bullpen game. That was okay for the Yankees Friday night because there is little they have liked more this year than getting into the Red Sox pen.

The Yankees blew leads of 5-0 and 6-5 but fought back from a 7-6 deficit with four runs in the eighth inning off the ragged Boston relief corps for a 10-8 victory at Fenway Park. They are 3-0 against Boston this season due primarily to the way they have clobbered Red Sox relievers. The Yanks have 17 runs and 20 hits in 10 innings against the Boston bullpen, which has pitched to a combined 15.30 ERA against the Bombers.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine made five pitching changes, and four of those relievers put the first runner on base. It happened to all three Boston relievers in the eighth. Andrew Miller started the inning and walked Curtis Granderson. After Alex Rodriguez singled, Vicente Padilla replaced Miller and gave up a two-run triple to Mark Teixeira that thrust the Yankees ahead. It was an extremely satisfying hit for Teixeira because Padilla has targeted him in the past literally by hitting him with pitches three times.

One out later, Padilla was spanked for a double by Raul Ibanez for another run. Scott Atchison, the third reliever of the inning, gave up an RBI single to his first batter, Eric Chavez.

The Yankees’ bullpen, meanwhile, allowed only one run, on Cody Ross’ home run of winning pitcher Boone Logan (4-0), over the final four innings in relief of Hiroki Kuroda. Rafael Soriano finished it off with a four-out save, his first of that kind in five years, to run his season saves total to 20. Cody Eppley and David Robertson also got big outs along the way.

It was that rarity for the Yankees in that they won a game without hitting a home run. It was only the second time in 16 homerless games that the Yankees have triumphed. They may not have hit home runs, but they got plenty of hits – 14 in all. The first five hitters in the order – Derek Jeter, Granderson, Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Teixeira – combined to go 10-for-21 (.476) with a double, two triples, three stolen bases, nine runs and six runs batted in.

Darnell McDonald, who was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox by the Yankees, was a defensive replacement in left field in the ninth inning in his first game with his new team. His brother, Donzell, appeared in five games for the Yankees as an outfielder in 2001 and had 1-for-3. Darnell and Donzell became the eighth set of brothers to play for the Yankees, joining Homer (1912) and Tommy (1912) Thompson, Bobby (1957-60) and Billy (1960) Shantz, Felipe (1971-73) and Matty (1973) Alou, Phil (1984-85) and Joe (1985-87) Niekro, Al (1987-89, 2005) and Mark (1990) Leiter, Pascual (1990-91) and Melido (1992-95) Perez and Marcus (1989) and Matt (2005) Lawton.

The Yankees and Red Sox will play a separate-admission doubleheader Saturday. The Yanks played in five doubleheaders last year, sweeping two and splitting three, their most twin bills since 2006 (also five). They have gone 13-1-15 in doubleheaders since 2000. The one time they were swept was Sept. 17, 2006 against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

This is the third straight season that the Yankees will play at least one doubleheader vs. Boston. They have split each of the past three doubleheaders against the Red Sox, winning the first game and losing the second each time (Sept. 28, 2008 and Oct. 10, 2010 at Fenway and Sept. 25, 2011 at the Stadium). The Yanks last swept the Red Sox in a doubleheader Aug. 18, 2006 at Fenway Park, the first two games of a five-game series sweep.