An inning later, the Red Sox again did what they do so well, creating a run out of a two-out, nobody-on situation. The inning began harmlessly enough when Pedroia grounded to third and Youkilis flied to center. But David Ortiz, who had narrowly missed a three-run homer in the third when his shot passed just to the right of the Pesky Pole, walked on a 3-2 pitch to keep the inning alive.
It was the fifth walk issued by Jimenez, and he would regret it. Manny Ramírez singled to left, placing men on first and second with two away for Lowell, who has been a very reliable situational hitter all year, never more so than in these playoffs. Lowell got ahead, 2 and 0, swung and missed at a slider, then ripped a double into the left-field corner to bring home the go-ahead run. Oh, those bases on balls, and oh, those increasingly fascinating Red Sox, for whom innings begin with two on and one out and counts that so often commence at 0 and 2.
