Ortiz provides power to get Red Sox back in ALCS

Oct 17, 2008 - 5:58 PM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- David Ortiz made his return to prominence on Thursday night. And the Boston Red Sox may be next.

With the Red Sox just seven outs away from playoff extinction and down 7-1 in Game Five of the American League Championship Series, Ortiz launched a three-run homer off Tampa Bay's Grant Balfour in the bottom of the seventh that cut a seemingly insurmountable six-run deficit in half.

Ortiz entered the at-bat in the midst of the worst postseason slump of a career that has been filled with great moment after great moment.

"I am still Big Papi," Ortiz proclaimed afterward. "The problem with the game is sometimes people forget about things. But it doesn't matter. I am still part of the soul of this ball club and I'm going to keep trying."

Red Sox fans though are not likely to ever forget 2004 when, on the same Fenway Park field against the New York Yankees, he won consecutive extra-inning ALCS games with walk-off hits, including a game-winning homer in Game Four and a single in Game Five.

The Red Sox went on to win that series, becoming the first team in MLB history to wipe out a three games-to-none deficit.

With the game within reach, J.D. Drew brought the Red Sox even closer with his two-run homer in the eighth as the crowd intensified with each pitch. Eventually, Coco Crisp tied the game in the eighth with his two-out single to score Mark Kotsay.

But Crisp pointed to Ortiz's homer the previous inning as the momentum changer in the game.

"I think that was the turning point where we felt like we had a chance," Crisp said. "We had some hits before that and people get on and when Papi hits the home run, it's 7-4 and it's definitely within reach and gave everybody the sense that we can do this."

Drew, who won the game with a two-out single over the head of Gabe Gross in the ninth, also said Ortiz's home run deep to the seats in right was the key to the comeback.

"Just get guys on base, get some runs and then see what we can do," Drew said. "Papi hit a big home run and I came back with a home run and we came back with a chance to win the game in the ninth and that's what you want."

Ortiz was just 1-for-17 (.059) in the series prior to the fateful at-bat in the seventh.

"We never give up," Ortiz said. "It was tough. We knew we were having trouble hitting and they were playing loose and easy. But we started to get some hits to fall."

Ortiz admitted afterward the homer ended some personal and team frustration.

"It felt good, I'm not going to lie," Ortiz said. "We haven't been hitting well and I know this ball club relies on me a lot."

The Rays, meanwhile, were left to wonder if Ortiz's homer will have the same impact this season as Ortiz's heroics had in 2004 against New York and in 2007 against the Cleveland Indians, when the Red Sox came back from 3-1 down to win the AL pennant.

"They didn't quit," Rays center field B.J. Upton said. "It's a game of 27 outs and they've been in this position before and they're going to battle as much as they can. They showed that tonight. That's why they're world champions and year after year they're in this position. You have to tip your caps to them. They got a win out of it and we have to just turn the page."