"We needed a break for that ball not to kick and it kind of hugged [the wall] the way it did," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "Manny gave a great effort. He was thinking score right from the jump, and those are the kind of things you need to win ballgames."
The Sox had just ended a 2-5 road trip to Texas and Cleveland with a pair of much-needed wins, one of them a return to prominence and good graces by ace and soon-to-be free agent Pedro Martinez. And they were facing an underachieving Royals team that is 2-13 on the road.
Varitek's hit may have won the game, but the first three people he mentioned afterward were Ramirez, starter Tim Wakefield, who worked eight innings, and Doug Mirabelli, whose single in the eighth scored Ramirez with the third Sox run.
"[Wakefield] kept the game right there," said Varitek, who pinch hit for Gabe Kapler. "What a job by Manny. All I did was step up there and get a hit. I hit a changeup and Manny scored. It's what this team believes it can do. I just wanted to make sure I saw the ball well out of [Sullivan's] hand. He threw me a straight changeup."
Bellhorn, who had missed a throw to second after Wakefield picked off Carlos Beltran in the third, leading to a Kansas City run, made amends in the ninth.
"I kind of threw my hands up and had my glove positioned in the wrong way," Bellhorn said of his error. "I just don't know. I tried to catch it the wrong way."
But Bellhorn rebounded with the Sox' second home run of the game (Johnny Damon hit a solo shot in the third), off closer Mike MacDougal, adding to the comeback by sending a 95-mile-per-hour fastball into the seats in right.
"In those situations, you have to go up there and believe in yourself, and that's what I did, especially after my first swing," said Bellhorn. "I tried to swing a little bit too hard and I just told myself to try to stay within myself. I knew the guy threw hard. I ended up putting a good swing on it and making good contact."
Ramirez, who walked after a three-hit night, set the stage for Varitek's heroics. The walk was yet another great plate appearance for Ramirez, who scored two runs and raised his average to .374. Then, he used his legs.
