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Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick tries to find the ball as David Ortiz of the Red Sox slides safely into second base during an attempted forceout Monday night at Fenway Park. The game was tied 2-2 in the eighth inning.

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Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek dives to tag out Reggie Willits of the Angels as he tries to get back to third base after Erick Aybar missed a bunt trying to squeeze home the go-ahead run in the ninth. Boston scored in the bottom of the inning to win.

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Let the celebration begin, and Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, left, touches it off by jumping into the arms of Jason Bay while Mark Kotsay races to join them after Bay scored on Jed Lowrie’s single in the ninth to beat the Angels, 3-2.

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Jon Lester gives Boston seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out four and leaving with a 2-0 lead. The Angels tied it with two in the eighth. The Red Sox scored in the bottom of the ninth to win 3-2.

THE ALCS

WHO: Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

GAME 1: 8:37 p.m. Friday at Tampa Bay

TELEVISION: TBS

SERIES: Best-of-seven

BOSTON — All eyes were on Jason Bay as he raced around third base.

The Fenway Park crowd froze, watching Bay pump his arms, sprinting for home.

Even Jed Lowrie turned to see where Bay was as he ran to first base, raising his fist in joy.

Lowrie touched first, Bay slid safely into home, and bedlam followed before champagne flowed.

Lowrie's RBI single in the bottom of ninth inning gave Boston a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels to clinch the best-of-five division series in four games.

Boston advanced to the American League Championship Series against its surprising new rival, the Tampa Bay Rays. The series begins Friday at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Monday's game was full of late-inning dramatics. Red Sox starter Jon Lester shut out Los Angeles over seven innings, but the Angels scored twice off Boston's bullpen in the eighth to tie the game, 2-2.

Then Los Angeles had a chance to go ahead in the ninth but botched a squeeze play.

That set the stage for Bay and Lowrie in the ninth, against reliever Scot Shields.

With one out, Bay hit a fast-falling fly ball to right field. Reggie Willits charged and dived, but he could not reach it and the ball bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.

After Mark Kotsay lined out to first, Lowrie came to the plate.

In Boston's 12-inning loss Sunday, Lowrie struggled. He struck out against Shields and later flied out with the bases loaded.

"I never lost my confidence," Lowrie said.

And he learned, too.

"Scot Shields had struck me out on three curveballs," said Lowrie, who was looking for one on Monday. "He left one up in the zone, and I could find a hole with it."

Lowrie grounded the ball into right field. Willits came up with it but had no chance to throw out Bay.

Lowrie's success followed the Angels' blown chance in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Kendry Morales doubled off Justin Masterson. Willits came in as a pinch runner and was sacrificed to third by Howie Kendrick.

Manny Delcarmen relieved and faced Erick Aybar. On a 2-0 count, Aybar turned to bunt as Willits headed home. After Aybar missed the ball, catcher Jason Varitek chased Willits back to third and dived to tag him out.

After Varitek tagged Willits, his glove hit the ground and the ball rolled out, and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia argued Willits was safe, but the out ruling stood.

Aybar then grounded out to first to end the inning.

"Erick's a terrific bunter," Scioscia said. "Delcarmen throws hard, which is a challenge. Erick just didn't get it done."

Until the eighth inning, Lester was the story of the game, limiting Los Angeles to four hits and two walks over seven innings. He left with a 2-0 lead.

Left-hander Hideki Okajima relieved Lester to begin the eighth and got two groundouts before issuing a walk to Mark Teixeira.

Right-hander Masterson came in to face Vladimir Guerrero but walked him after getting ahead, 0-2.

With Torii Hunter up, Masterson crossed up Varitek. As Varitek moved his glove to the outside, Masterson's 97-mph fastball came right for Varitek's head and he ducked. The pitch reached the backstop and the runners advanced.

Hunter lined a single to right to score Teixeira and Guerrero for a 2-2 tie.

Boston scored twice in the fifth inning off Angels ace John Lackey, who allowed seven hits over seven innings.

Kotsay led off with a line-drive single to center. With one out, Varitek worked the count full. With Kotsay running, Varitek lined a single to right, sending Kotsay to third.

Jacoby Ellsbury bounced a ball to second baseman Kendrick. With the speedy Ellsbury, Kendrick's only chance at a double play was to tag Varitek and fire to first.

But Kendrick bobbled the bouncer and could only throw out Ellsbury at first as Kotsay scored.

Dustin Pedroia came up and broke his 0-for-15 playoff slump, driving a pitch high off the Green Monster in left field for a double, easily scoring Varitek.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com