Through it all - through the comparisons to Manny Ramírez, and the questions about Manny Ramírez, and the steroid allegations against Manny Ramírez - Bay has done nothing more than become Manny Ramírez at the plate.
He did it again last night, his three-run homer in the sixth tying the game at 3-3, with the Sox taking the lead on a two-run shot by J.D. Drew shortly after that. Having lost five of their last six against the Rays, the Sox were eager to prevail in front of the 37,745 at Fenway Park, doing so in a 7-3 triumph in which the sixth inning provided the margin of victory for the second straight night.
"I don't think he is intimidated by the situation," Mike Lowell said of Bay. "He's a legitimate home run hitter. It's not like he's coming out and doing things that he hasn't done in the other years in his career. But it does seem he has kind of a flair for the dramatic home run. That's a good sign for us."
With James Shields generally mowing down the Sox through five innings - and Brad Penny unable to contain Carl Crawford yet again - the Sox entered the sixth trailing by three runs. It was, of course, the sixth inning in which the Sox exploded for 12 runs the night before. The outburst last night didn't quite match that for intensity, but it wasn't bad.
"He's going right through us and he's pretty economical in his innings," manager Terry Francona said of Shields. "All of a sudden we get a couple base runners, and there's Jason Bay again."
Yes, there was Bay again. After Dustin Pedroia earned an infield single on a ball that went off Shields's glove to second base, the pitcher walked David Ortiz. He then faced Bay, who blasted an 0-2 pitch out to left, which hit the Sports Authority sign and bounced back onto the field. As Shields watched the pitch head out he vented his frustration. He spun around, his pitching hand striking the mound, kicking up some clay. It would get worse, and quickly.
