BC-BBO–World Series-Running, 1st Ld-Writethru,0614

Red Sox lead Cardinals after six innings of World Series Game 3

Eds: UPDATES through six innings; Will be UPDATED ONLY if tied after nine innings.

By RONALD BLUM

AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Manny Ramirez got Boston started with a first-inning homer off former teammate Jeff Suppan, and the Red Sox went on to take a 4-0 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals after six innings of World Series Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Coming off 11-9 and 6-2 wins at Fenway Park last weekend, the Red Sox were trying to move within a victory of their first World Series title since 1918.

Suppan lasted just 4 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and eight hits. Boston’s Pedro Martinez, pitching in his first World Series, allowed three hits over the first six innings and struck out four. He retired 11 straight batters after Edgar Renteria’s double in the third.

St. Louis helped the Red Sox by twice running into double plays. Larry Walker was thrown out at the plate by Ramirez in the first inning and Suppan strayed off third base on an infield grounder in the third.

It rained for most of the day at Busch Stadium, but the showers stopped before game time. Still, many parts of the field were water-logged for the first World Series game in St. Louis since 1987.

Ramirez connected on a high 2-2 pitch with two outs in the first, lining the ball into the first deck in left field. With his 18th postseason homer, Ramirez tied Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson for second place on the career list, four behind Bernie Williams.

Martinez got into a jam in the bottom half when Walker walked with one out and Albert Pujols reached with an infield single on a hard grounder to third that Bill Mueller couldn’t come up with.

After Scott Rolen’s walk loaded the bases, Jim Edmonds flied out to short left, and Ramirez easily threw out Walker, with catcher Jason Varitek applying the tag at home.

Suppan reached on an infield hit, a chopper to third base, leading off the third. It was the third hit of the postseason for Suppan, who started the regular season 0-for-43 at the plate.

Renteria then doubled over right fielder Trot Nixon, whose legs came out from under him when he ran past a puddle on the warning track.

Walker grounded to David Ortiz, playing first base because there was no designated hitter with the shift to the NL ballpark. Suppan went halfway down the line and had no chance to get back, and Ortiz threw across the diamond to Mueller, who tagged him out. The crowd booed loudly.

Boston became the first team in World Series history to hold the lead after the first inning in Games 1, 2 and 3. The only other teams to score in the first inning of the first three games were the 1932 Chicago Cubs and the 1997 Cleveland Indians.

Mueller’s two-out double and Nixon’s RBI single made it 2-0 in the fourth. All the Red Sox runs in Game 2 came with two outs.

Boston made it 4-0 in the fifth after Johnny Damon doubled leading off and Orlando Cabrera singled him to third.

Ramirez singled for a 2-0 lead, Ortiz flied to center and Varitek grounded to first. Pujols threw to Renteria out at second base for the forceout, and Varitek just beat the relay to avoid an inning-ending double play. Mueller then singled home another run.

Boston was three innings from becoming just the fifth team not to trail in the first three games of the World Series. The only teams to do it were the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1966 Baltimore Orioles, 1976 Cincinnati Reds and 1989 Oakland Athletics – all went on to sweeps.

AP-ES-10-26-04 2239EDT