Sports: Sean McAdam

NEW YORK -- Bits and pieces from yesterday's game . . .

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July 4 is quite a day in MLB history.

Most recently, it was the 25th anniversary of Dave Righetti’s no-hitter against the Red Sox. The Yankee lefty walked four and struck out nine, including Wade Boggs for the final out of the game. Current Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy was 0-for-4 in the game, which was played in front of a crowd of 41,007, including former President Richard Nixon.

Yesterday was also the 69th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. It was 1939 when the Yankees honored him and retired his No. 4, the first number to receive that distinction by the club. On that day he spoke his famous line: "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

Finally, yesterday was George Steinbrenner’s birthday. The Yanks’ owner turned 78

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Everyone assumed that had Kevin Youkilis' third-inning drive stayed on top of the fence, the ball would have been in play. But ex-Red Sox assistant GM Mike Port, now Major League Baseball's supervisor of umpires, wasn't so sure.

"The guess is that if it had stayed there, it would have been a home run because it had broken the front plane, but we'll discuss it with supervisors in the next few days," he said. "The great thing about this game is that after 100 or more years, you still see things that may not have happened before."

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-- The Red Sox and Yankees -- and all major-league teams -- wore alternate caps yesterday, with stars and stripes in the front logo. It is thought to be the first time in history that the Yankees have worn alternate caps.

-- The Yankees have lost 9 of 14 following a season-high, seven-game winning streak.

-- Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek wore a special red, white and blue chest protector that will be auctioned for charity. He also wore special chest protectors for Mother's Day (pink), Memorial Day (camouflage) and Father's Day (blue).

-- Quote of the day from Johnny Damon on the Yanks trailing the Red Sox and Rays in the A.L. East: "We've got an uphill battle going up against two very good teams and teams that are, you know, possibly, well, more athletic than us."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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