Red Sox Send Angels Packing

When it turns to October, no one dominates like Boston. Jason Bay slid headfirst into home plate to score on Jed Lowrie's two-out single in the ninth inning tonight as the defending World Series champs beat Los Angeles, 3-2, in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. The Sox advance to play for the AL pennant for the fourth time in six seasons.

The Red Sox, who also won it all in 2004, will have a chance at a third title in five years if they can get past the Rays in the best-of-seven AL championship series that starts at Tampa Bay Friday. Boston is 31-16 in October since the turn of the century, and both World Series runs began with a playoff sweep of the Angels. (More baseball stories.)