BOSTON (AP) – Manny Ramirez drove in three run as the Boston Red Sox rallied after a reversed call gave Detroit a disputed homer, beating the Tigers 9-8 Friday night for their 14th consecutive win at Fenway Park.

Damage from the stage used by the Rolling Stones for two concerts forced the grounds crew to replace at least half the outfield surface after Tuesday night’s show.

It had no effect on the fielders, and the hits kept coming.

Detroit hit four homers and the Red Sox found their stroke in the opener of a season-long 14-game homestand. Boston, which leads the second-place New York Yankees by 2 games in the AL East, came off a 4-6 trip that ended with two losses in three games at Kansas City.

Boston’s 39-18 home record is the best in the majors, and the Red Sox play 24 of their remaining 36 games at Fenway.

Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson hit two-run homers in the fourth to give Detroit a 5-3 lead. First-base umpire Jim Wolf ruled that Granderson’s high fly near the Pesky Pole in right was foul, but the call was reversed after the four umpires consulted. Boston manager Terry Francona ran from the dugout and was ejected for arguing with plate umpire Randy Marsh.

Tim Wakefield (13-10) then retired nine of his next 10 batters and left after six innings with the Red Sox leading 9-5.

Boston tied the score in the fifth on an RBI double by David Ortiz and a run-scoring groundout by Trot Nixon, who hustled down the line and just avoided an inning-ending play by beating the throw from shortstop John McDonald.

Bill Mueller doubled off Jason Johnson (7-10) leading off the sixth, Doug Mirabelli walked and Alex Cora sacrificed. Johnny Damon struck out but reached first when the ball got past catcher Ivan Rodriguez for a wild pitch that allowing Mueller to score the go-ahead run.

Tony Graffanino singled in a run, and Ramirez hit a two-run double that increased Boston’s lead to 9-5 and boosted Ramirez’s major league-leading RBIs total to 115.

Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez hit consecutive solo homers off Jeremi Gonzalez in the seventh, and Placido Polanco cut the lead to one with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly off Chad Bradford.

Mike Timlin got three outs for his third save in eight chances.

Johnson gave up all nine runs, nine hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings. Detroit has lost three straight after winning seven of eight.

Wakefield was hit by a batted ball for the second straight game when Dmitri Young’s shot struck near his right knee in the first. On Aug. 18, Wakefield left after 4 1-3 innings when Casey Kotchman’s ball struck him lower on the same leg at Anaheim.

Wakefield allowed Rodriguez’s RBI single in the first, but Boston made it 3-1 in the third on sacrifice flies by Damon and Nixon, and a bases-loaded walk to Ramirez.

Notes: SS Edgar Renteria didn’t start after Boston’s plane from Kansas City arrived home at 3:45 a.m. but pinch hit in the eighth and singled. … Ortiz was back in the starting lineup after missing one game with a bruised left palm. … Detroit has 19 homers in its last nine games. … Boston’s home attendance is 2,004,342. It reached the 2 million mark in its 57th game, one game earlier than last year.

AP-ES-08-26-05 2326EDT


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