Bronx, NY (My Sportsbook) - Gil Meche pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and Bret Boone homered and drove in three runs, as the Seattle Mariners posted a 6-0 victory over the New York Yankees in the opener of a three-game series between division leaders at Yankee Stadium.

Ben Davis added a two-run homer and Edgar Martinez contributed a solo shot for the AL West-leading Mariners, who have won two straight and seven of their last eight. John Olerud chipped in three hits.

The East-leading Yankees, coming off an 8-2 road trip that ended with a 10-7 setback in Texas, have lost consecutive games for the first time this season. It was also the first time New York was shut out in 2003.

The game marked the first United States meeting between Japanese stars Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle and New York's Hideki Matsui. Suzuki had only a bunt single and a run scored in five at-bats, while Matsui went 1-for-4 with a single in the ninth.

Roger Clemens (4-1), on the 17th anniversary of his 20-strikeout game against Seattle while with Boston, lost for the first time this season and remained stuck on 297 career victories. The Yankee righthander was tagged for four runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked only one, but surrendered three home runs.

Meche (3-1) was brilliant through 7 2/3 innings to win his third straight decision. The righthander scattered six hits, walked two and struck out four. He has thrown 16 1/3 scoreless innings over his last two starts and has not allowed an earned run in his last 22 frames.

Clemens struck out the first two batters of the game, but Boone drilled a pitch over the wall in left-center field for his sixth homer of the season to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

The first two Mariners were retired in the second, but Jeff Cirillo kept the inning alive with a base hit and Davis followed with his third homer to increase the Seattle lead to 3-0.

Martinez led off the sixth with his third homer, a blast over the wall in center field, to make it a 4-0 game.

The Mariners tacked on two more in the seventh against Chris Hammond. Davis led off with a double and advanced to third on a bunt base hit by Suzuki. One- out later, Boone doubled down the third base line to score both runners. Boone advanced toward third on the throw home, which was cut off, and Nick Johnson's throw skipped past Robin Ventura. Boone tried to race home, but Yankee shortstop Erick Almonte was backing up the play and his throw to the plate easily nailed the runner.

The Yankees managed just three hits against Meche through the first seven innings, then started the eighth with back-to-back singles by Raul Mondesi and Almonte. Alfonso Soriano then lined into a double play. Johnson followed with a base hit to chase Meche, but Arthur Rhodes came on and retired Jason Giambi on a fly ball to left.

The Mariners improved to 12-2 at Yankee Stadium since the start of the 2000 season.