NEW YORK — This was a battle of Texas gunslingers — a past Red Sox ace matched the present one — and on this night, at least, old was better than new.

Roger Clemens, 45 years old and nearly a dozen years after the Red Sox presumed his best days were behind him, limited the Sox to a single run over six innings while Josh Beckett, stalled in his attempt to become baseball’s first 17-game winner, was knocked around as the Yankees grabbed a 4-3 victory.

Gaining momentum in their late-season pursuit of the front-running Red Sox, the Yankees shaved another game off the Sox’ lead. The Red Sox hold a six-game edge in the American League East heading into this afternoon’s series finale and must still face the Yankees’ best pitcher — Chien-Ming Wang.

The Sox gave themselves a late-inning chance when, trailing by 4-1, Kevin Youkilis hammered a two-run homer into the seats in left off Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth. The homer was the 14th of the season for Youkilis — establishing a personal best — and the fifth in a row away from home.

“I thought it might give us a spark,” said Youkilis.

But the Sox fell short in their comeback, repelled by ageless Mariano Rivera, who recorded a four-out save.

Beckett, who suffered his first loss since July 31, yielded 13 hits, a career-high and the most hits allowed by a Red Sox starter since Curt Schilling gave up 13 on April 22, 2004, against Toronto.

Though the Yankees scored in only two of the seven innings in which Beckett pitched, the start was a game-long battle for him. Beckett didn’t have a single inning in which he retired every hitter he faced, and only twice — the fourth and the fifth innings — did he face the minimum number of hitters.

“A lot of hits,” concluded manager Terry Francona of Beckett’s night. “Not a lot of hard-hit, but that’s part of the game.”

When Alex Rodriguez hit a liner off a curveball that “got too much of the plate,” according to Francona, Beckett’s night was through. He trudged off the mound to the derision of the partisan crowd, and for an inning or so he stood at the far end of the dugout, his hands on his hips in apparent disbelief.

“It all comes down to one pitch,” said a somber Beckett. “A stupid pitch in a stupid spot to a smart hitter.”

The Red Sox were held hitless by Clemens through the first five innings. But with one out in the sixth, the Sox snapped his no-hit bid and spoiled the shutout with a mighty swing from the bat of David Ortiz.

Ortiz drove a pitch from Clemens into the upper deck in right for his 25th homer of the season and fourth in his last five games.

The Sox hinted at a bigger inning when, with Clemens tiring, a two-out walk to Youkilis and a sharply hit single to right by J.D. Drew gave the Sox baserunners at the corners.

But Clemens got Jason Varitek to hit an inning-ending roller to second, and then was finished for the night.

Until the homer by Rodriguez, Beckett’s undoing came in the second. With Jorge Posada (single) aboard, Beckett was nearly out of the inning after Jason Giambi fouled out to first for the second out. But the inning was extended with a walk to Robinson Cano.

A single to center by No. 9 hitter Melky Cabrera produced the first run of the night and Cabrera then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.

Beckett and Johnny Damon then engaged in an epic at-bat, with Damon expertly fouling off pitches before slicing a ground ball through the shortstop hole, delivering both baserunners.

“That’s what they do,” said Beckett. “They foul good pitches off and the good pitches I made found holes.”

The Sox’ starter then didn’t help himself in fielding a topper to the left of the mound by Derek Jeter. A wild throw to first got past Youkilis, enabling Damon to take third and Jeter to move to second.

Beckett then ended the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to ground to second.

Clemens was wild early — walking four in the first five innings — but the Sox couldn’t take advantage. Through the fifth, the Sox had managed to four baserunners — without benefit of a hit.

“We had guys on,” said Dustin Pedroia, “but we just didn’t get the big hit.”

smcadam@projo.com