BOSTON – David Ortiz singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning after homering in the seventh, and the Boston Red Sox won 2-1 Friday night in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first game ever at Fenway Park.

After left fielder Manny Ramirez’s error gave the Dodgers an unearned run in the top of the ninth, Johnny Damon started the bottom of the inning by walking against Tom Martin (0-1).

Damon went to third on Mark Bellhorn’s double to left, and scored on Ortiz’s single just inside the right-field line.

Keith Foulke (2-0) got the win after Derek Lowe pitched seven scoreless innings and Mike Timlin also threw a shutout inning.

The Red Sox seemed to have the game wrapped up when Olmedo Saenz hit a windblown popup to medium left field in the ninth off Foulke. There were two outs and Alex Cora, who had singled, was on first.

Ramirez ran in and tried to make a basket catch, but the ball dropped just to his left for an error as Cora kept running and scored. That deprived Lowe of a victory in his best game of the season. He started the night with a 6.55 ERA that dropped to 5.83 ERA as he allowed five hits in seven innings.

Odalis Perez pitched the first eight innings for Los Angeles, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

The only previous regular-season meetings between the Red Sox and Dodgers was in June 2002 when the Dodgers swept a three-game series in Los Angeles.

The teams also faced each other in the 1916 World Series when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. The Red Sox won the series in five games, but the three games in Boston were played at Braves Field because the NL team’s stadium had a larger seating capacity than Fenway.

On Friday, Ortiz hit a 2-0 pitch in the seventh into the Dodgers bullpen in right field for his 51st RBI. Vladimir Guerrero started the day as the AL leader with 51.

Lowe struck out four and walked four while allowing runners in six of his seven innings. The Dodgers put runners in scoring position in four of them.

The Dodgers threatened in the third. With two outs, they loaded the bases on a single by Dave Roberts and walks to Cesar Izturis and Milton Bradley. But Shawn Green struck out.

In the sixth, Green and Paul Lo Duca singled before a forceout at second left runners at first and third with one out. But Juan Encarnacion grounded to shortstop Pokey Reese, who started a double play.

The Red Sox put just one runner in scoring position through the first six innings. Kevin Youkilis led off the third with a single but was out on a double play. Reese then singled and stole second before Damon grounded out.

Notes: The Red Sox activated RHP Scott Williamson from the disabled list and sent C-1B Andy Dominique to Triple-A Pawtucket. … Former Dodgers LHP and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax sat next to team owner Frank McCourt Jr. in the box just to the plate side of the Los Angeles dugout. … Green struck out three times. … Bellhorn extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.

AP-ES-06-11-04 2155EDT