"In that moment, I am just trying to see the ball and trust myself," Ramirez said in a rare appearance in the postgame interview room. "I ain't trying to do too much. You know, I got a lot of confidence in myself. He's one of the greatest closers in the game and I am one of the best hitters in the game. You know, he missed his spot, and I got good timing on the ball and that's it.
"It feels great, man. It's been a long time I don't do something special like that. But I haven't been right all year round. But I guess, you know, when you don't feel good and you still get hits, that's when you know you are a bad man."
This was a night when Daisuke Matsuzaka looked like a $100 bust, and a teenage Red Sox fan - sitting in front of Stephen King - kept a rally alive with a barehanded catch of a Ramírez foul popup. It was a night when Boston's bolstered bullpen flexed its muscles. But the 37,706 witnesses will remember only Manny, arms raised at home plate as the ball soared over the plastic bottles toward the Charles River.
The series resumes in Anaheim tomorrow afternoon with Curt Schilling making his first postseason appearance since Bloody Sock II against the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.
"We accomplished what we set out to do today," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "It wasn't very easy. Our bullpen was outstanding. They gave us a chance."
"We have to scratch and claw our way back into the series," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who is on the brink of having his team swept by the Red Sox for the second time in four seasons. "It can be done. I've seen some good signs. This can be done; we just have to stay short-focused and go pitch to pitch."
Going back to 1986, the Angels have lost eight consecutive playoff games to the Red Sox. Righthander Jered Weaver will get the ball for the desperate Halos tomorrow.
