"Given the circumstances, it was arguably the best start of the season for John Lackey.

But he had no interest in discussing it.

After Jacoby Ellsbury's three-run homer gave the Red Sox a had-to-have-it, 7-4, 14-inning victory in the finale of a doubleheader last night at Yankee Stadium, Lackey snapped at a team official, then lashed out at the media for an off-field incident that occurred before the game.

"Let me tell you the truth," Lackey said after being asked a question about his performance, "Thirty minutes before the game, I got a text message on my cellphone from somebody in the media talking about personal stuff. I shouldn't even be standing here having to deal with this. I'm sitting here listening to music. I don't know who got my phone number, but that's over the line.""