BOSTON — With one swing of the bat, B.J. “Boss Man Jr.” Upton humbled Red Sox nation and ace Jon Lester today.
And that was just the beginning.
All told, the Tampa Bay Rays blasted four homers, cruising to a 9-1 victory in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Upton, Tampa Bay’s swift center fielder, was nicknamed after his father. He lived up to his moniker. Fueled by his three-run, third-inning blast, and anchored by a cool, precise performance by 24-year-old starter Matt Garza, the Rays manhandled the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Tampa Bay, in postseason play for the first time in franchise history, took a 2-1 lead in the ALCS.
With no outs in the third, Upton rocketed Lester’s 1-2 pitch up and over the fabled Green Monster in left field. The three runs were the first earned runs given up by Lester in 24 2/3 postseason innings. Two batters later, Rays rookie-of-the-year candidate Evan Longoria dinged a solo homer to left-center, giving Tampa a 5-0 lead. Longoria already has four home runs in the playoffs, tying him with Florida’s Miguel Cabrera in 2003 for the most ever by a rookie in the postseason.
Tampa Bay right fielder Rocco Baldelli hit a three-run homer off reliever Paul Byrd in the eighth, sealing the Rays’ victory. Carlos Pena added a solo homer in the ninth. The Rays have hit seven homers in the last two games.
Lester, the man who dominated the Rockies in last year’s World Series, had been invincible at Fenway, going 11-0 with a 2.28 ERA here since his last loss at the ballpark on April 9 vs. Detroit. Today, he pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits.
Garza, overshadowed by Lester coming into the game, was terrific. He pitched six-plus innings, striking out five, walking three.
Garza started off shaky. Dustin Pedroia belted a double off him in the first, and Jason Bay singled and Mark Kotsay doubled in the second, but no Red Sox runs crossed the plate against him until the seventh.
Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at Fenway with Tampa right-hander Andy Sonnanstine matching up against Boston right-handed knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
