BOSTON -- It had been more than a decade since the Yankees visited the home of their archrival with no personal playoff aspirations to play for, a scenario so foreign that most were not quite sure what to expect upon checking in.

The result turned out to be an offensive bonanza, as the Yankees thumped the Red Sox, 19-8, on a wet and late Friday evening at Fenway Park, setting season highs in runs scored and hits (20) before a noticeably thinned crowd braving inclement weather.

Cody Ransom homered twice, Robinson Cano tied a career high with five RBIs and Bobby Abreu scored four times before reaching an important personal milestone of 100 RBIs with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly.

"I was fighting for that, and finally, I got it," said Abreu, who asked for the ball and plans to display it in his home. "It was a long game with the rain delay and four hours [long]. It was crazy."

Rookie outfielder Brett Gardner also set a career high by driving in four runs, extending his hitting streak to eight games as he continues to create an impression for next season.

"My goal is to go out there every day and try to play hard and be more consistent," Gardner said. "I feel like for the last week or two, I've done that. Obviously, it's a small sample size, but it's something to look forward to heading into the offseason."

The Yankees rapped spot starter David Pauley -- inserted when Daisuke Matsuzaka was scratched due to a rain delay of one hour, 31 minutes -- for seven runs (six earned) in 2 2/3 innings, slugging to a 7-3 advantage after three frames.

David Aardsma was charged with five runs in two-thirds of an inning as the Yankees opened up a large lead.

Damon hit a two-run homer, his 16th, in the second inning, and Ransom -- a reserve infielder who came in as a defensive replacement for the ailing Derek Jeter -- belted a solo shot in the fourth inning and another leading off the fifth, right before play halted with a 38-minute rain delay, six outs shy of an official game.

Jeter's left hand has been sore since he was hit by a pitch in a game last Saturday against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. He went through batting practice and felt fine to be in the lineup, but winced in his first two at-bats and will not be in the lineup on Saturday against the Red Sox.

"Any time you get hit, obviously it doesn't feel good, but what can you do?" Jeter said. "It didn't feel good. I really just couldn't have good swings."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he is holding out hope that Jeter will be able to play Sunday, as the Yankees try to help Mike Mussina to a career-high 20th win.

"I'd like to, but then on the other hand, you don't want to go in there and hurt him," Jeter said.

The 19-8 final -- the same score as Game 3 of the 2004 American League Championship Series -- provided plenty of support for the Yankees' pitching staff, who turned in a group effort.

Alfredo Aceves got off to a rocky beginning in his first career effort against the Red Sox, surrendering a leadoff home run to Jacoby Ellsbury and a two-run shot to Kevin Youkilis in the first inning.

"He struggled a little bit early and then he got it going," Girardi said. "It was unfortunate we had the rain delay, because I would have liked to get him back out there. It just seemed like he was missing his spots, and the good thing about it to me, he was missing down. He did OK."

Aceves allowed four runs in four innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Phil Coke pitched the fifth, allowing a run to end his string of 12 scoreless innings to begin his big league career.

David Robertson pitched two scoreless innings and came away with his fourth Major League victory, before Chris Britton allowed three runs in a sloppy ninth inning.

The Yankees' victory eliminated the Red Sox from the AL East race, giving Boston the Wild Card for the first time since 2005 but putting the Red Sox into the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons, while the Rays secured the division.

Girardi, whose team is headed home for the first time since the strike-shortened 1994 season, said that he took no special satisfaction in that happenstance.

"I would have liked to have knocked them out of the playoffs and put us in," Girardi said. "That would have meant something."