If not for a fourth-inning solo homer by Alex Rodriguez, Boston’s Bronson Arroyo would’ve had a no-hitter entering the seventh inning yesterday.

But by the time he left the game later that inning, he was fortunate to manage a no-decision against the Yankees.

Arroyo, Boston’s No. 5 starter, lived up to the challenge of opposing Kevin Brown for the second time in six days. He left the game after allowing three consecutive hits to Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield in the seventh, but he recorded a quality start.

Arroyo’s outing was indicative of Boston’s deep pitching, which has been the primary reason for the team’s strong start.

“Bronson Arroyo is a young guy that no one knows about, and we feel confident every time he steps on the mound,” Kevin Millar said before the series began.

About 14 months ago, Pittsburgh gave up on Arroyo, but the Red Sox snapped him off the waiver wire. At the end of last season, he was named International League Pitcher of the Year, and he hurled in relief in three games of the ALCS.

Perhaps mimicking Derek Lowe’s game plan from Friday night, Arroyo induced a preponderance of groundouts from the anemic Yankee lineup. He also displayed a live fastball and control on the corners, freezing Hideki Matsui, Giambi and Sheffield on strikes over the first two frames.

The Yankees were no-hit until one out in the fourth, when Rodriguez lofted a fly ball that was caught in the jet stream to left field. The homer was of the wind-blown variety, and Arroyo settled down until the beginning of the seventh.

When the heart of the Yankees’ order struck quickly to tie the game off Arroyo, Scott Williamson relieved and escaped further damage. It was the third time in as many starts Arroyo had gone six or more innings, but it was his first official quality start.

On April 9, he allowed four earned runs during a 10-5 loss to Toronto. On April 19, he also surrendered four runs against the Bombers.