Rays flex offensive muscle in 16-5 win over Red Sox

It happened a hundred times before, Sam Fuld hitting a home run at Fenway Park. Sam Fuld hitting a double and a triple and crossing the plate again and again.

It happened a hundred times before, Sam Fuld making a diving catch on the emerald green Fenway grass while up in the stands his family and friends scream themselves silly.

Sam Fuld, the catalyst in a big win.

It happened many times before in Sam Fuld's dreams. What New England kid doesn't dream of being the star at Fenway Park?

On Monday night, it happened for real.

Fuld, in his first visit to the historic park as a major leaguer, fell a single shy of hitting for the cycle and led the way as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded the Boston Red Sox 16-5 to snap a two-game losing streak and win for the second time this season.

"Just thinking about all those family and friends up there, it was hard to take that smile off my face the whole night," Fuld said.

Fuld's first four-hit, three-RBI night of his career paced a 20-hit attack, the most hits by the Rays since 2007. The 16 runs were the most ever against the Red Sox and the fourth-highest total in team history.

The outburst of offense raised the team average to .201.

"Looks more like us," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We're not going to score that many runs, obviously. But I like the energy of the whole thing. The at-bats were really good. The base running was really good."

Johnny Damon homered on the first pitch he saw in the first inning, quieting the Fenway faithful, who booed him before the at-bat, and exciting his teammates, who booed him when he returned to the dugout.

Damon was 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

Ben Zobrist was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs.

John Jaso had two doubles and three RBIs.

Jeremy Hellickson went 5 1/3 innings to become the first member of the rotation to earn a victory this season.

But the star was Fuld, the pride of Durham, N.H., who left 30 tickets for friends and family. His parents, Ken and Mandy, and his kid sister, Anna, made the 90-minute drive from Durham and were able to watch Fuld take batting practice from the field.

Afterwards, they were part of the crowd waiting for the Rays newest star outside the visitor's clubhouse.

"It was very special. We're so happy for him. It was really a special thing for him to be here and play well in his debut," Ken said.

"And a Tampa Bay win," Mandy quickly added.

Fuld's big day began with his second inning at-bat when he wrapped his first homer of the season around the famed Pesky Pole in right field.

"That was kind of cool," Ken said.

The two-run shot off Daisuke Matsuzaka capped a six-run inning and gave Hellickson a 7-0 lead.

"I've seen a lot of balls hook around that Pesky Pole on TV," Fuld said. "I can't say I was aiming for it, but it was definitely good placement."

Fuld hustled his way to a double in the fourth inning and tripled to center field in the sixth.

He came to bat in the seventh inning needing only a single to join B.J. Upton as the only Ray to hit for cycle, but he flied out to left field.

That looked like the end of Fuld's night at the plate until the Rays offense went to work in the ninth against former Ray Dan Wheeler.

Fuld came to bat with one out and runners on the corners and lined the ball into left field. Instead of stopping at first, Fuld continued to second for another double.

"You can't do that," he said of pulling up for the cycle, "and I don't get too many extra-base hits, so I'm going to take them when I can. It was a sure double, so there was no choice but to get your double there."

Fuld finished with 11 total bases on his four extra-base hits.

"Pretty spectacular," Maddon said, "and also it speaks to his integrity there at the very end of the game when he could have easily stopped at first base. I know a lot of guys that would have stopped. Some guys in the dugout said they would have slid into first under the same circumstances. But Sam, that's what he's all about right there."

Fuld grew up a Red Sox fan. His favorite player was Wade Boggs until Boggs became a Yankee and Nomar Garciaparra became his favorite Red Sox.

He went to close to 50 games at Fenway Park. He even served as the batboy once when the University of New Hampshire played Boston University. Ken Fuld, now a dean of UNH's college of liberal arts, was an assistant baseball coach.

Fuld's best friend as a kid was Chris Gale, the son of former Red Sox pitching coach Rich Gale. That connection got the Fulds tickets in the Red Sox family section.

On Monday, they were sitting where the families of the visiting players sit, while Fuld took to his new role as leadoff hitter and highlight-a-game outfielder for the Rays.

Fuld's daily defensive gem came in the fifth inning when he robbed Dustin Pedroia of a hit with a diving catch in left field.

His four-hit night raised his batting average to .321.

"I've been feeling really comfortable ever since I've been in there every day the last few days," Fuld said. "I think I had a little more adrenalin just playing in this park I grew up going to. I was able to channel that in a positive way. I wasn't sure how it would play out. I thought I might have too many jitters going. I was able to use it in a positive manor, and after that home run, I felt like, wow, everything else is going to be icing on the cake."

Damon called Fuld "our sparkplug."

"He's been awesome for us," Damon said. "We're going through a lot of tough things right now. We lose our No. 4 hitter, but Sammy embraced it. He knew he was going to get more playing time and doing it in front of his friends and family, that's even better."

A home run, two doubles, a triple, three RBI, a diving catch, some debut, huh?

"I don't know, I set those standards pretty high," Fuld said. "I don't know if I can play like that ever again."

What can this guy do for an encore?

"Well," Mandy said, "he didn't steal a base."

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