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Beckett, Ramirez lead Red Sox to first-game pounding of Indians

Oct 13, 2007 - 4:08 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Josh Beckett held up his end of the bargain in an anticipated Cy Young matchup. Manny Ramirez was a big reason why C.C. Sabathia could not do the same.

Ramirez continued his lifetime assault against Sabathia and Beckett pitched six strong innings as the Boston Red Sox posted a decisive 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on Friday.

Ramirez and David Ortiz reached base all five times they stepped to the plate for the Red Sox, who host Game Two on Saturday night. The duo has reached in 29-of-36 combined plate appearances in the postseason.

The Red Sox faithful were expecting to witness a pitchers' duel between Beckett - the lone 20-game winner in the major leagues - and 19-game winner Sabathia. But the so-called duel was over by the third inning, in large part because Sabathia could not find a way to get out former Indian Ramirez.

Entering the contest 12-for-21 all-time against the Indians' ace, Ramirez drilled an RBI single in the first inning to tie the contest at 1-1. During a four-run third, he battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a bases-loaded walk that provided a 2-1 lead.

The superstar also singled and scored in the fifth against Sabathia.

Later in the fifth, Bobby Kielty - who was inserted into the starting lineup over the lefthanded-hitting J.D. Drew because of his career success against Sabathia - lined a two-run single to right-center for a 7-1 lead, forcing Cleveland manager Eric Wedge to make a move to the bullpen.

Kielty entered 9-for-29 with two homers against Sabathia (0-1), who was charged with eight runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings - the most runs he had allowed since yielding nine in 2 1/3 frames on June 21, 2006 against the Chicago White Sox.

The hefty lefthander, who walked just 37 batters in 241 innings this season, walked five in his second straight sub-par performance. Against the New York Yankees in Game One of the AL Division Series, the 27-year-old walked six batters and surrendered three runs in five innings.

Entering with three shutouts in six career postseason starts, including a four-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game One of their ALDS, Beckett (1-0) was charged with two runs and four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts while throwing 80 pitches.

After giving up a first-inning homer to Travis Hafner, Beckett retired 12 of the next 14 batters before Casey Blake led off the sixth with a double and scored on a one-out single by Asdrubal Cabrera.

Ramirez and the Red Sox broke open a 1-1 game in the third. Julio Lugo led off with a ground-rule double to right field. After a sacrifice and a four-pitch walk to Kevin Youkilis, Sabathia hit David Ortiz with a pitch to load the bases.

Ramirez then fell behind 0-2 before laying off four straight off-speed pitches to plate Lugo for a 2-1 lead. Mike Lowell followed with a ground-rule double that right fielder Franklin Gutierrez pulled up on before allowing it to bounce in front of him and into the right field seats.

After an intentional walk to Kielty, Jason Varitek brought home Boston's fifth run of the game on a groundout to third base.

In the fifth, Ramirez grounded a single up the middle between a pair of walks before Kielty ended Sabathia's night with his two-run base hit. Varitek greeted reliever Jensen Lewis with an RBI double to push the lead to 8-1.

Ramirez came back from another 0-2 count in the sixth to draw a bases-loaded walk from Aaron Fultz and Lowell followed with a sacrifice fly for a 10-2 cushion.