• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ramirez, Red Sox trump homer by Bonds

Jun 17, 2007 - 11:31 PM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Barry Bonds solved Fenway Park but the Boston Red Sox had all the answers against Matt Morris.

Manny Ramirez homered to offset a blast by Bonds and the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 9-5 victory Sunday.

Bonds belted the 748th homer of his career leading off the sixth against Tim Wakefield, drawing to within seven of tying Hank Aaron's all time mark.

The seven-time MVP made Fenway Park the 36th major league park in which he has homered. He has yet to hit one in Seattle's Kingdome and the new Busch Stadium.

"I believe I had two but we'll leave it at one," said Bonds, who hit a foul ball just to the right of the Pesky Pole on Friday night in his first at-bat of the series.

Boston starter Tim Wakefield (7-7), a teammate of Bonds with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992, became the 441st pitcher to surrender a homer to Bonds when the lefthanded slugger slammed a 1-0 knuckleball into the Giants bullpen leading off the sixth.

"I tip my cap to Wakefield," Bonds said. "He came at me every at-bat, gave me an opportunity and I didn't get walked today so I tip my cap to him. His knuckleball is as good as it was when he was with us in Pittsburgh. I just wish he pitched that last game (Game Seven, 1992 NLCS) for us because we would have been in the World Series for sure."

Bonds' blast was just beyond the reach of Boston right fielder J.D. Drew.

"I thought he hit it good but when it left the bat, I thought it was a pop-up and I turned around and saw J.D. just keep going back, further and further and further but you've got to tip your cap to him," Wakefield said.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 in the first inning, only to have the Giants tie the game with RBI doubles from Omar Vizquel and Randy Winn in the third.

But the Red Sox took control with a five-run third against San Francisco starter Morris.

J.D. Drew continued to thrive in his new role as leadoff hitter, scoring twice and starting Boston's five-run third with a walk. The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out before Ramirez's groundout plated the first run of the inning.

Kevin Youkilis singled and Mike Lowell doubled to push the lead to 6-2 before Doug Mirabelli's single scored the final run of the frame as the Red Sox sent nine batters to the plate.

Morris (7-4) had his roughest outing of the season. He yielded a season-high eight runs on nine hits in a season-low four innings.

"It was a rare day today," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of his starter. "He wasn't quite as sharp but he's pitched so well and things didn't go our way either as balls got through. We didn't handle the (Dustin Pedroia) bunt well (in the third) but he wasn't as crisp but that is going to happen."

After yielding the homer to Bonds in the sixth, Wakefield allowed a two-out RBI double to Nate Schierholtz before giving way to Manny Delcarmen, who retired Vizquel and kept Boston's lead at 8-5.

Wakefield allowed eight hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

"It was a day where I thought the ballpark was playing real small," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Then we got the lead. He gave up the solo homer (to Pedro Feliz) on the 3-2 fastball. He was pitching to the scoreboard. I actually thought he had pretty good stuff."

After Delcarmen walked the first two batters of the seventh and got Ray Durham on a groundout, Joel Pineiro came in and got the slow-footed Bengie Molina to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play on his first pitch.

"The game was getting a little quick there and at a key time he gets a one-pitch double-play ground ball and it quiets everything down," Francona said. "Then he goes out and has a smooth eighth. That was the big point for me."

Ramirez's 480th career homer with one out in the seventh off Jonathan Sanchez closed out the scoring and tied him with Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox for 25th all-time.

Ramirez also finished with three RBI on the day, giving him 1,555 and trying him with former Giant great Willie McCovey for 36th on the all-time list.

San Francisco lost their fourth straight while Boston finished their interleague six-game homestand against the Rockies and Giants with a 4-2 mark.