To a man, the Red Sox vowed that after a 2-4 road trip to St. Louis and Chicago, they would make opponents pay once they returned to their home ballpark.
Last night, the Cincinnati Reds felt their wrath.
''This is our park," said Kevin Millar after last night's 10-3 shellacking of the Reds at Fenway that improved the Sox' interleague record to 5-5. ''It's no secret that we're more comfortable here. That's what it's about. Your fans. Your music. This is our house."
The Sox, who are tied with Toronto for the fewest home games played (27), improved to 18-9 at home on a steamy night that seemed to suit Boston hitters (16 hits, after 17 vs. Chicago Sunday night) in a ballpark that seemed to intimidate the Reds on defense.
''It was nice to have another hitter in the lineup," said interim Sox manager Brad Mills, who improved to 5-3 at the helm, running the team this time because Terry Francona's daughter Alyssa was graduating from high school. ''Being back home and playing by American League rules. Of course it's always nice to be back home. Playing the six games on the road, it was nice to get back and swinging a little bit."
Matt Clement, who improved to 7-1, had one blip when he allowed two runs in the fifth, but he pitched a solid game to give the Sox back-to-back wins by starters (Tim Wakefield beat the Cubs, 8-1, Sunday) for the first time since May 28-29 when Clement and David Wells beat the Yankees.
''So far I've enjoyed pitching here," said Clement. ''It's nice to get back home. It seems like we've been on the road the whole season. Six very intense games and it's nice to get back home and sleep in your own bed."
The Sox had multiple-hit nights from Johnny Damon (second straight three-hit night), Edgar Renteria (double, single, walk), Manny Ramirez (double, home run), Millar (double, single), Jason Varitek (single, double), and Jay Payton (double, infield hit).
As for Mills's comment on the extra hitter, it was DH David Ortiz's two-out, bases-loaded single in the sixth that seemed to put away the Reds. For sure it was the end for Cincinnati starter Eric Milton (0-5 with an 11.53 ERA in six road starts), who departed after the hit, trailing, 7-2.
He was relieved by Matt Belisle, who was immediately touched for a three-run homer that Ramirez poked into the right-field corner.
Ramirez's 13th of the season wasn't your ordinary home run. No, this was a pure case of an outfielder (Wily Mo Peña) being intimidated by the low right-field railing. Peña drifted and drifted toward the railing, tracking the ball. He actually had it in his glove, but it popped out and into the crowd for a home run as Peña fell.
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