BOSTON – The Red Sox ended their home season with another brilliant performance by Curt Schilling and another bench-clearing confrontation with the Yankees.

Schilling (21-6) allowed one hit in seven innings yesterday as Boston beat the Yankees 11-4 and knocked Kevin Brown out in the first inning of his return from a broken hand.

The Red Sox (93-62) won 11 of 19 from the Yankees (97-65) to take the season series for the first time in five years and cut New York’s AL East lead to 3 1 /2 games with one week to play.

“We probably play them too much,” Johnny Damon said with a smile. “There’s too much anxiety brewing.”

In the top of the eighth, Boston’s Pedro Astacio was ejected for throwing behind Kenny Lofton and both teams were warned by plate umpire Jim Wolf.

In the bottom half, Yankee pitcher Brad Halsey and manager Joe Torre were ejected after Halsey threw a pitch high and tight to Dave Roberts, causing the benches and bullpens to clear. Players were kept apart.

Schilling, who leads the major leagues in wins, is 12-1 at Fenway this season, his first since Boston acquired him from Arizona. He’s won eight straight decisions for the first time in his major league career.

Boston scored four runs in the first off Brown (10-5), who got just two outs, then made it 7-0 in the second against Esteban Loaiza, who allowed seven runs in 4 2 /3 innings.

Brown made his first appearance since September 3, when he broke his left hand after punching a clubhouse wall. Yesterday, his pitching hand was the problem.

“The only way you’re going to find out about Brownie is to put him out there,” said Torre, who is trying to decide whether to include him in his playoff rotation and plans to use him later this week.

After losing Friday’s opener, Boston won the last two games. A week earlier, the Red Sox won on Friday in New York then lost the next two by 10 runs each.

The Red Sox have seven games left and likely will wind up with the AL wild-card berth – they led Anaheim by six games starting play yesterday.

Schilling struck out six and matched his season-high with four walks. He retired his first 10 batters, then walked the next three in the fourth, when he allowed a two-run single up the middle to Jorge Posada that made it 7-2.

Astacio relieved to start the eighth and was ejected when he threw his second pitch behind Lofton, who was involved in the game’s first dispute when he elbowed first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz on a groundout to second in the third inning.

Bill Mueller homered for the Red Sox and Andy Phillips for the Yankees, the first hit of his major league career.

The Red Sox, who drew a record 2,837,304 this season at Fenway, completed their home schedule by selling out all 81 games. The only other teams to do that were Cleveland (1996-2000),Colorado (1996), and San Francisco (2000).