BOSTON

However this season turns out for the Yankees — and if the Baltimore Orioles never lose again, it will not end well — they should never apologize for their style of play. When Manager Joe Girardi declared recently that the Yankees were not the Bronx Bunters, it was more than a snappy line. It was something to relish.

The last time the Yankees won the World Series, in 2009, they set a franchise record for home runs, with 244, and led the majors in that category. This year’s team also leads the majors, and was on pace to hit 243 home runs before facing the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. These Yankees are the first team in baseball history to homer in at least 116 of the first 142 games of a season.

They did not homer on Thursday, when Phil Hughes and the bullpen stifled a thin Boston lineup in a 2-0 victory at Fenway Park. The Yankees managed only four singles and a double and used small-ball hallmarks like the stolen base and the sacrifice fly. Those are useful when the situation calls for them, but the home run is always a good play.

“I feel like in baseball, no matter what, there’s always something you or a team can’t do — even the best players and the best teams didn’t do something,” said Curtis Granderson, who has 37 homers and batted seventh for the Yankees on Thursday. “Right now, the word on us is that we score a lot of runs with home runs. I don’t know; there could be a lot worse things to talk about with us.”