Afterward, facing the media, Francona smiled and said, "Ask away." Julio Lugo asked no one in particular, "Did you guys see David Ortiz tonight?" A thorn of concern had become an incentive for celebration.
"Everybody has been pulling for him," said catcher Jason Varitek, who hit two home runs himself. "Things haven't been going well for him. He's been a guy and is a guy that can carry this team at times. So, yeah, it was a breath of fresh air for everybody."
Youkilis, on deck, thrust both hands in the air when Ortiz's first home run of the season - in his 136th at-bat of the year, against Toronto starter Brett Cecil - caromed off the back wall in left-center. Once the crowd finally calmed and Ortiz had retreated from his curtain call, Youkilis drilled a single. Jason Bay followed with a home run that landed in the parking lot behind the Green Monster, presumably with scorchmarks from reentering the atmosphere. Up came Mike Lowell, and he whaled a home run into the first row of the Monster seats.
The Blue Jays removed Cecil and summoned Shawn Camp. Rocco Baldelli - 0 for his last 14 - clobbered a line drive into the gap in left-center. He raced to third for a triple. Varitek, who led off the inning with a home run, struck out to end the inning.
That left the damage to be surveyed: a team-record four home runs in an inning, done for the 11th time and the first time since April 22, 2007, when they ripped four straight against the Yankees; five homers total off of Cecil, which matched a Blue Jays record; six runs; seven hits; one enormous burden lifted.
"I think everybody wanted it so bad," Bay said. "When that ball went up, there were more than a few people saying, 'Get up. Get up.' I think it was more about a teammate, a genuine caring. You know - 'Yes!' It helped everybody relax a little bit."
