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Rays Hunters In One-Sided Slugfest

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

BJ Upton connects for a three-run homerun in the third inning.

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

Updated: 10/14/2008 01:22 am

BOSTON - Day became night and Game 3 became history at silent Fenway Park. A full moon appeared. At this time of year, there's name for such a full moon. It's called a Hunter's Moon.

And the hunters were out in force. They wore Rays uniforms.

Four Monster shots.

One monster win.

Throw in an I'll Show You from winning pitcher Matt Garza, who was supposed to be the losing pitcher against the seemingly mortal lock who was supposed to be the winning pitcher, unhittable Red Sox lefty Jon Lester, who was rock-shocked in a 9-1 Rays romp for a 2-1 ALCS lead.

"I don't think anybody really thought we could come in here and win, especially the way we did today," B.J. Upton said.

But with one whip crack of Upton's bat in the top of the third, the rules changed, in this game and maybe in this series.

He transformed a Lester fastball, and not into a game-winning sac fly like the other morning at the Trop. This one Upton blasted over the Green Monster, and the seats above it, and into greater Boston for three runs and a stunning 4-0 lead. The ball might still be rolling. Upton's team is.

And now back to the fun.

Nearly immediately after Upton went deep, 23-year-old Evan Longoria resumed their home run derby by hitting his first home run over the Monster. And now to the updated October dinger scoreboard:

B.J. 5, Longo 4.

Longoria, being Evan Almighty, naturally gets bonus points for hitting his homer directly to a Rays season ticket-holder - who was wearing a Longoria jersey. And it was the guy's birthday. Sure, why not?

"That was something, wasn't it?" Longoria said with a grin.

They're so young, so unaware, so immune, like kids hitting rocks over a pond. Child's play.

Later, Carlos Pena hit one over the Monster. And, most touching of all, so did Rocco Baldelli, with a three-run triumph of the will for family and friends in Rhode Island, who were all at Fenway anyway.

Back to B.J., who explained what's going on right now with him and Longo.

"I don't know what's going on right now," he said. "I don't know. We're locked in."

Back to locked-in Longo:

"I guess it is extraordinary what we're doing, but the belief in ourselves is so strong that it's not out of the ordinary. Growing up, we wanted to be on this stage."

And hit a few more over it.

Monster grins.

That was something, wasn't it?

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