Red Sox manager Farrell victorious in return to Toronto

TORONTO - Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell heard the boos every time he made an appearance on the field.

The former Toronto Blue Jays manager was booed when he took out the lineup card. He was booed when he came to the mound to make a pitching change

And even when he was in the dugout the crowd of 45,328 at Rogers Centre chanted his name derisively.

But the Red Sox, led by Mike Napoli, who hit Boston's first home run of the season and drove in three runs, took a 6-4 victory on Friday to give Farrell a victorious return to Toronto.

It was Farrell's first game back at Rogers Centre since he left the Blue Jays (1-3) after completing two years of a three-year contract.

"Given the circumstances, the fans had fun with the situation," Farrell said. "It was a great crowd. The energy they create, it was just an outstanding night. Great atmosphere to play this game in."

The Red Sox (3-1) benefited from three errors by Blue Jays second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, who also struck out four times.

"We haven't put it all together yet," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Too many mistakes tonight, very rarely are you going to win those kind of games."

Napoli drove in two runs with his fifth-inning homer to put Boston ahead 4-1. With the game tied 4-4 in the eighth, he brought home the go-ahead run with a groundout to third.

Toronto's Esmil Rogers (0-1) replaced left-hander Brett Cecil with one out in the eighth and walked pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes. Dustin Pedroia doubled off the center-field wall, sending Gomes to third, and he scored on the groundout.

Will Middlebrooks homered against Jeremy Jeffress to lead off the ninth and put Boston up by two. The Blue Jays escaped further damage in the inning despite the third error of the game by Bonifacio and two walks.

"It was a tough defensive night for Bonnie but he won the game for us (over Cleveland Thursday) with his defense," Gibbons said. "But he'll be fine. He shows up to play every day. He'll get through that. We were very short in the 'pen but we still hung in there. We just didn't get a result."

Toronto's Mark DeRosa hit his first homer in three years to lead off the bottom of the fifth as the Blue Jays cut into Boston's lead with two runs. Jose Reyes tied the game 4-4 with one out in the seventh against reliever Junichi Tazawa (1-0) with his first homer of the season and fourth hit of the game.

Andrew Bailey pitched the eighth for Boston and Joel Hanrahan picked up the save.

Blue Jays starter Josh Johnson allowed nine hits and four runs (three earned) in six innings.

"I found a way to battle," Johnson said. "I found a way to get some outs in key situations. Still, I've got to be more efficient with pitches and get deeper into that game."

Were the errors frustrating?

"No, I mean errors are part of it," he said. "I've got to pick him up there and make better pitches."

Boston left-hander Felix Doubront allowed nine hits and three runs in five innings.

"I thought tonight he had his best stuff of the year," Farrell said. "He was downhill consistently, he had an outstanding changeup, he was powerful. A good step forward for him."

Each team scored a run in the second.

Shane Victorino and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit one-out singles and Jose Iglesias was hit by a pitch to load the bases in the top of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled in one run but Daniel Nava grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Rajai Davis singled with one out in the home second, took third on a double by Colby Rasmus and came home on a sacrifice fly to right by DeRosa.

Bonifacio made errors on consecutive batters with one out in the fourth, the first on his throw to first and the second when he muffed a potential double-play grounder. Pedro Ciriaco batted for Iglesias and singled in a run. He stayed in the game at shortstop.

Boston took a 4-1 lead in the fifth when Napoli homered after Pedroia led off with a single.

"It always feels good to hit a homer," Napoli said. "I haven't been feeling too good at the plate. My timing's been off a little bit. I've been working every day with it and feeling better and better every at bat."

He said that he enjoyed the crowd.

"They were loud," he said. "It was fun for me. I like when the crowd's like that."

DeRosa led off the bottom of the fifth with his first home run since April 5, 2010. Maicer Izturis followed with a single and scored on a double by Reyes, who was out trying for a triple.

NOTES: Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista, who twisted his ankle running to first base in the eighth inning of Thursday's 10-8 win over Cleveland, did not start in Friday's game. Davis started in right field. ... Bradley entered Friday's game with RBIs in each of Boston's first three games. Those also were his first three games in the majors. Since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920, the only other Red Sox player to drive in a run in each of his first three big-league games was Jim Rice. ... Victorino's first-inning single meant he has hit safely in each of the first four games of the season. His longest career hitting streak to open a season was five games in 2007. ... DeRosa started at first base for the Blue Jays on Friday with Edwin Encarnacion as DH.