David Ortiz homers in an 8-3 Red Sox romp on Wednesday. (Elise Amendola/Associated Press)Led by David (Big Papi) Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox posted a big win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Determined to snap out of a season-long slump that had lowered his batting average to .200, Ortiz had a home run, a double and two runs batted in as the host Red Sox pounded the Blue Jays 8-3.
Boston's beloved slugger hadn't homered since last Sept. 22, failing to clear the fence in 149 at-bats — the longest power outage of his major-league career.
"I tried it all," Ortiz said. "I was about to hit right-handed.
"I just got that big old monkey off my back and, [in] this game, sometimes that is all it takes. Have a good at-bat, get a good hit and everything will start clicking."
"I wasn't really worried about homers as much as I was worried about getting my swing back," he continued. "When my swing is there, the homers [are] going to come."
Ortiz brought the Fenway Park crowd of 30,099 to its feet in a six-run fifth inning with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to centre field off rookie left-hander Brett Cecil.
"We were all blowing on it, wanting it to go out," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "You could see the sheer joy in the dugout."
But the Red Sox weren't done yet.
After Kevin Youkilis singled, Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., and Mike Lowell hit back-to-back home runs to make it 8-0 Boston.
Jason Varitek led off the fifth with his second home run on the night — he had homered to open the third inning — and one of five surrendered by Cecil (2-1).
Cecil's earned-run average ballooned from 1.80 to 4.38 as he was charged with eight runs on 11 hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
"I wouldn't say [that is] shocking," Cecil said. "That is going to happen with pitches like that."
'He throws lots of fastballs'
Bay, Ortiz and Varitek drove in two runs apiece for the Red Sox (24-16).
Boston starter Brad Penny pitched six shutout innings before tiring in the seventh.
Penny (4-1) permitted two runs and nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
"He throws lots of fastballs," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "He got them where he wanted to and he got us out."
Jacoby Ellsbury caught Adam Lind's fly ball for the final out and his 12th putout — matching the major-league record for outfielders in a nine-inning game set by Earl Clark of the Boston Braves on May 10, 1929, and equalled by Lyman Bostock of the Minnesota Twins on May 25, 1977.
"My legs felt a little tired," Ellsbury said. "I was just happy we were getting quick outs.
"Brad is a fly ball pitcher and, when he is getting the fly balls, that means his pitch count is down [and] he is doing everything he needs to do."
Rod Barajas and Marco Scutaro counted RBIs in the seventh inning for the Blue Jays (27-16).
Lyle Overbay opened with a triple and scored on a single from Barajas, who moved to third base on rookie Travis Snider's single and rumbled home on Scutaro's groundout.
Overbay doubled in Vernon Wells for Toronto's final run in the eighth.
Well and Alex Rios had three hits apiece in the setback.
With files from The Canadian Press
