The reigning AL player of the week, who has four homers in his last eight games, hit a two-run drive in Tuesday's victory and punctuated it with a cocky flip of his bat followed by a silky pirouette before starting toward first base.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he "didn't really care for it," and Ortiz said it was simply "Papi style."

That home run came one pitch after rookie Hector Noesi backed Ortiz off the plate, but the Yankees never brushed him back Wednesday.

Ortiz said he wasn't concerned about New York throwing at him in retaliation.

"Why should I?" he said. "I don't care about what Joe Girardi said. I come to play the game every day. That's about it. I'm done with that.

"We cross that line, we take it like a man. That's it."

And there was a reason he played it cool when he connected Wednesday.

"I don't want to be national news tomorrow," Ortiz said. "I don't want to have you guys asking me the same questions. I've got almost 370 bombs in the big leagues. Everybody wants to make a big deal because I bat-flip one of them."

The Red Sox have won five straight overall after losing four in a row. Boston has 18 wins in 24 games, starting the surge with a three-game sweep in the Bronx from May 13-15.

Wakefield (3-1) was relieved in the sixth by ex-Yankee Alfredo Aceves, who went the rest of the way for his first save of the season.

Jeter was 1 for 3 against Wakefield, giving him 32 career hits off the 44-year-old knuckleballer, his most against any pitcher. The two have squared off in 118 plate appearances, the most common matchup among active players in majors.