An inning later, the Red Sox chased Escobar, loading the bases with nobody out for Ramirez, who delivered a sacrifice fly. Ortiz greeted Shields with another double to drive in a run. The normally sure-handed David Eckstein then booted Millar's grounder, and the Red Sox had a 5-1 lead.
But the Angels were far from finished. In a move that seemed sure to be second-guessed before the extra-inning heroics, Arroyo, who had allowed only two runners to reach second base, was pulled after just 91 pitches.
David Ortiz, left, celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the 10th inning to give Boston an 8-6 victory and the three-game sweep of Anaheim.
(Charles Krupa - AP)
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"I thought he was tremendous. I also thought, after that first hitter [of the seventh inning], he looked like he was about out of bullets," Francona said, an assessment the young pitcher disputed.
After Guererro's momentum-changing home run, when the Angels loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks, Anaheim had plenty of chances to push the winning run across, but came up dry.
In the 10th, with the embattled Lowe -- stripped of his starting role after stumbling badly in the stretch run -- on in relief for Boston, the Angels threatened again when Jose Molina walked and moved to second on Dallas McPherson's sacrifice bunt. Eckstein beat out an infield hit, but Lowe induced Chone Figgins to ground to short as the crowd chanted the pitcher's name.
"D-Lowe is the kind of guy that when you really need it, he steps up," Ortiz said. "I'm very happy and proud of him."
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was faced with a series-altering decision in the bottom of the 10th, when he removed standout reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who had pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, with two outs and Ortiz at the plate.
He opted for the lefty Washburn, and Ortiz made him pay with a blast over into the seats over the Green Monster that sent 35,547 fans screaming for the Yankees, who took a 2-1 lead over Minnesota with an 8-4 win over the Twins Friday night.
The Red Sox, a team whose personalities are as varied as their many goofy hairstyles, drenched each other in the clubhouse with champagne and buckets of water.
Ringleaders Ramirez and Millar bolted from the dugout and sprayed fans who stuck around long after the game was over. The scoreboard flashed "How Sweep it Is."
