Yankees 9, Red Sox 3: Jacoby Ellsbury returned to Boston and collected a double, a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored as visiting New York took the series opener.

Carlos Beltran homered and drove in two while Derek Jeter added two RBIs for the Yankees, who improved to 4-1 against the Red Sox this season. Masahiro Tanaka (3-0) struck out seven and allowed two runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings for New York.

Jon Lester (2-3) was reached for eight runs (three earned) on 11 hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings for Boston. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, and Xander Bogaerts doubled in a run in the ninth to provide all the offense for the Red Sox.

Ellsbury drew a mixed response from the crowd when he was announced before driving Lester’s third pitch to the deepest part of the ball park, where a fan reached over the wall and deflected it back on the field. Ellsbury was awarded a triple on the play and scored on Jeter’s RBI single before an error pushed Jeter to third and Beltran’s single made it a 2-0 game.

The Yankees tacked on two more runs on three straight doubles in the third before the Red Sox finally got on the board when Ortiz sent a drive out to right-center and Napoli followed with a blast down the line in left. Another defensive blunder opened the gates for New York’s four-run fifth, which was highlighted by Ellsbury’s two-run double to left-center that chased Lester.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Jeter’s RBI single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 11 games. … Lester had issued a total of four walks in his first four starts before granting the Yankees four free passes. … Red Sox OF Shane Victorino (hamstring), who has been on the 15-day DL since late in spring training, is expected to be activated Wednesday.