For Francona, Decision Is Child's Play

Use of Rookie In Leadoff Spot Pays Off Big

DENVER, Oct. 27 -- The machinations had been discussed and analyzed, spliced and dissected, as Game 3 of the World Series approached. Sit David Ortiz, and the Boston Red Sox would lose one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. Sit Kevin Youkilis, and Ortiz -- balky right knee and all -- would have to play first, and the Sox would lose another smoking bat. Sit Mike Lowell, and Youkilis would have to play third and Ortiz first, making the Sox weaker at two defensive positions.

But the fallout of Manager Terry Francona's decision -- to sit Youkilis and play Ortiz at first -- had been completely overlooked. Francona dropped rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia from the top of the order into Youkilis's second slot. Thus, leading off and playing center field for the Red Sox, another rookie, Jacoby Ellsbury.

"He's a professional," said none other than Manny Ramirez, the Sox left fielder. "He's here for a reason."

The reason, as it turned out, was to be the catalyst for the Boston offense in a 10-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night. His contributions: four hits in five at-bats, three doubles, two runs scored, two RBI, the man in the middle of the Red Sox' two game-defining rallies.

"It's fun," he said afterward, a couple of spots that might need some Clearasil visible through the stubble that covers his 24-year-old cheeks.

If Ellsbury is giddy, he hardly shows it. This is a rookie who knows his place. "He's quiet," veteran reliever Mike Timlin said.

But to hear Ellsbury describe it, there's no other way to be.

"I mean, I started the year in Double-A," he said, speaking of his stint in Portland, Maine. "When I was there, I just wanted to get to Triple-A. When I got to Triple-A, I thought maybe I could hopefully get a September call-up."

Yet Saturday night, he led off a game in the World Series. There might be something to that, too. During the regular season, he hit in every spot in the order except third, even appearing in the cleanup slot when he came on as a defensive replacement for Ramirez. But back in his days at Oregon State, he considered himself a leadoff hitter, a disruptive one at that. So when he stepped into the box to face Colorado right-hander Josh Fogg, there was a restored comfort level.

"I think tonight I was a little bit more relaxed," he said.

He seems that way all the time. Upon his arrival in the majors, he instantly became a player with whom the Fenway faithful fell in love. The lumbering Red Sox don't normally produce jitterbugs who fly around the bases as does Ellsbury. Fans from Portland to Class AAA Pawtucket to the big leagues took instant delight in watching Ellsbury hit a ball to the gap and simply take off.

"He's showed a lot of maturity and swung the bat well," Youkilis said. "The one thing for him -- it's hard to get him in a slump. They say speed doesn't go into a slump. That guy, he's so fast. But it's not like he's just getting infield hits. He's stroking the ball all over the place."

When Ellsbury hit .353 during his major league debut, stealing nine bases in nine attempts and playing regularly when Ramirez was out with a strained oblique muscle, there was growing sentiment in Boston that when Ramirez returned, Ellsbury should be inserted into the lineup in place of right fielder J.D. Drew, whose first season with the Sox was marked by woeful inconsistency.

Ellsbury, though, worked his way into the lineup anyway. He started in place of regular center fielder Coco Crisp, who was battling an ankle injury, in each of the first two games of the Series. But his performance -- two hits in seven at-bats ¿ didn't make his insertion at the top of the order a no-brainer.

"Coco is always in the thinking because this center field is big," Francona said. "But then the reason we had put Ellsbury in [originally] was to try to get more offense, so all of a sudden you take a guy that was in the bottom of the order, you elevate him to the top of the order -- those are some of the conversations we had."

When Ellsbury came to the plate against Fogg in the third, the game was still scoreless. But he started the Red Sox' rally with a double to left. He scored on Ortiz's single two batters later, and Francona's pre-game decision-making seemed sound. After Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka came through with perhaps the key at-bat of the game -- stroking a two-out, bases-loaded, two-run single to make it 5-0 -- Ellsbury piled on, hitting an RBI double for a six-run lead.

That made him just the second player in Series history -- Arizona's Matt Williams was the first, in 2001 -- to double twice in the same inning. And even when the Rockies scratched to within 6-5, Ellsbury immediately and calmly closed the door, dropping an RBI double into right field in the eighth, sparking what became a three-run inning.

Afterward, a bank of television cameras stared at him. What's it like to have started the year in Class AA and be in the World Series now?

"I get asked that question a lot," he said.

The answer: He hasn't had a moment to give it thought.

Saturday night, he spent too much time meddling with the Rockies and pushing the Sox closer to a championship -- proving Francona's intuition right. When it was over, he politely answered all those questions, dressed and departed. He was a minor leaguer two months ago. But Ramirez, pressed, repeated his original assessment: "He's a professional," he said.