BOSTON — Just think, the Yankees have to worry about getting hit by pitches from Josh Beckett for only four more years after this season. Beckett signed a four-year extension earlier this year for $68 million.
How many more Yankees will he hit over that span? If you go by last night’s performance, the answer is plenty.
Beckett showed an amazing lack of control on the mound. Or maybe it was uncontrolled aggression. Whatever it was, it sure looked like Beckett was hitting Yankees on purpose in the six-run, sixth-inning of the Yankees 10-3 conquest of the Red Sox last night at Fenway Park. After breezing through the first three innings, Beckett lost it.
He gave up a three-run blast to Nick Swisher in the fourth and plugging two Yankees and knocking down another as he completely unraveled in the sixth.
These are two teams going in opposite directions, and it was obvious by the difference in starting pitchers. The Yankees’ young Phil Hughes improved to 4-0 and was in command all night long.
Beckett had no command.
The Yankees were infuriated with Beckett in the sixth. When he was finally removed, the Yankees dugout was all over Beckett with CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez screaming at him from across the field.
Beckett said he did not hear anyone getting on his case, and he stated his case as simply a loss of command.
“I just had no idea where the ball was going,” a perplexed Beckett said.
Beckett always seemed like a bit of a loose cannon on the mound and this sixth showed him to be exactly that as he high-bridged and low-bridged an assortment of hitters.
He nailed Robinson Cano, the Yankees’ hottest hitter, in the left knee, forcing Cano from the game. H e also hit Derek Jeter in the back with the bases loaded. Earlier in the inning, he buzzed Francisco Cervelli on ball four after almost hitting the catcher with the big protective helmet in his first at-bat in the third.
Beckett knocked his own catcher out of the game, nailing Jason Varitek on the left forearm when he crossed up the receiver.
Beckett hit seven batters in all of 2009. He now has hit four for 2010. Beckett is 1-1, but his ERA is 7.46. He posted a 3.86 ERA last season. His career high ERA is 5.01 in 2006, so clearly something is not right with the 2010 edition of Josh Beckett.
Asked to assess his season so far, Beckett dropped the hammer on himself, saying it was “[garbage.]”
For the night, Beckett surrendered nine runs on nine hits and three walks. He struck out eight. After he surrendered a monster three-run home run to Swisher in the fourth, he nearly hit Swisher the next time up.
He was a mess and the Yankees made him pay for it with a big inning.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Boston’s big gun. “Guys are out there trying to play their butts off and I’m not helping. The ball just wasn’t going where I wanted it to go, I was leaving balls down the middle.”
The Red Sox have struggled all season, and they seem to be a team that will not be able to keep up with the world champion Yankees. This game almost had a pre-2004 Collapse feel to it as the Yankees controlled the action throughout.
If the Red Sox can’t get Beckett straightened out, they have bigger problems than anyone could have imagined. Their offense is already a question mark.
Perhaps, though, it was just a bad night for Beckett and he will bounce back in his next start. Perhaps Beckett, as he said, was just wild and couldn’t control his pitches.
Perhaps on this comfortable night at Fenway he decided to make the opposing hitters uncomfortable.
If you can’t beat ’em, bruise ’em.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com