Roy Halladay refused to be topped by Pedro Martinez again.
Halladay outpitched Martinez after losing their first two matchups this season, and the Blue Jays beat Boston 3-1 Sunday in Toronto.
"You don't always walk away with wins against teams or pitchers like that, but when you do it's a great feeling," Halladay said.
Carlos Delgado hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays, who gained a split of the four-game series.
Halladay (4-4) worked seven strong innings, allowing one run and six hits — all singles — while striking out six and walking two.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner lost to Martinez on April 10 and 20, though he pitched well both times.
"The results weren't there, but we still had close games, we just couldn't pull it out," said Halladay, who looked forward to the third matchup. "It's exciting because you know it's going to be a close game. To be able to win close games like that, as a pitcher I think that's the most satisfying."
Halladay threw a season-high 124 pitches. He said he took a little off his fastball so he could stay strong late in the game.
"When I go out and give a max effort you just drain the tank so fast," Halladay said. "It just allowed me to go a little deeper in the game and to a higher pitch count and not really feel the same fatigue."
Jason Frasor worked a scoreless eighth, and Terry Adams got three outs for his second save.
Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings. He's won just one of his last four starts.
"If I can continue to pitch like this we're going to win a lot of games," said Martinez, who enjoys facing Halladay.
"I really do. I don't like it easy. If he makes it tough for me, I like it, I enjoy it. I enjoy seeing Halladay out there. I would pay my money to watch him pitch."
Martinez lost in Toronto for the first time in his career, falling to 3-1 in eight starts.
The Red Sox dropped a half-game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
Martinez (4-3) didn't allow a hit until Vernon Wells' infield single with one out in the fourth. Rookie third baseman Kevin Youkilis allowed the high-chopper to bounce off the heal of his glove, but it was scored a hit.
"I might have hurried it a bit. He's a fast runner," Youkilis said.
Delgado followed with his homer to right-center, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.
Martinez left a fastball up.
"If I could take that pitch back and throw it again, I'd try to throw it where I wanted to," Martinez said. "But I'm only human and I can only do so much."
Frank Catalanotto and Delgado singled in the sixth before Reed Johnson hit a run-scoring single.
Manny Ramirez drove in Boston's run with an RBI single in the first.
Frasor allowed two runners in the eighth, but Brian Daubach struck out and Jason Varitek popped out to end the threat.
YANKEES 2, MARINERS 1: At New York, Kevin Brown held down Seattle for 7 2-3 innings, and John Flaherty hit his first homer since August. The 39-year-old right-hander, acquired from Los Angeles in December, is 5-0 for the first time since 1990, when he pitched for Texas. He's also the first Yankees pitcher to open with five winning decisions since Roger Clemens in 1999.
INDIANS 10, DEVIL RAYS 0: At Cleveland, C.C. Sabathia pitched seven sharp innings and Cleveland completed a three-game sweep. Sabathia (2-1) gave up five hits and struck out six, improving to 5-0 in five career starts against Tampa Bay.
TIGERS 3, RANGERS 1: At Detroit, Jason Johnson pitched five strong innings before leaving with a blister, and three Tigers relievers combined to throw four shutout innings. The Tigers have won three of four. Johnson (2-5) left after the fifth because of a blister on his pitching hand.
WHITE SOX 11, TWINS 0: At Chicago, Jose Valentin and Joe Crede homered to back Mark Buehrle's solid pitching performance, and the White Sox avoided a three-game sweep. Valentin drove in four runs, and Magglio Ordonez three in Chicago's 15-hit attack.
ATHLETICS 6, ROYALS 2: At Kansas City, Mo., Bobby Crosby had a homer among his three hits and drove in two runs, giving Oakland its first series sweep of the season. The A's won their seventh straight against the Royals — all in Kansas City — and have won seven of their last 10.
ORIOLES 4, ANGELS 0: At Baltimore, Sidney Ponson pitched a five-hitter to end a run of four poor starts, Jerry Hairston drove in two runs and Javy Lopez had three hits as Baltimore snapped a three-game losing streak. Ponson (3-3) retired 19 of the final 21 batters. He struck out four and walked one.