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BOSTON ? Vladimir Guerrero singled in two runs with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday to give the Los Angeles Angels a 7-6 win over Boston and a sweep of their Major League Baseball playoff series.
The Angels, who never before swept a playoff series, avenged their playoff ousters by the Red Sox the past two years and in 2004 and booked a spot in the American League championship series.
"It means a lot," Angels veteran Torii Hunter said. "We battle. That's why you play nine innings."
Scoring two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth, the Angeles overcame a 5-1 deficit and will play either the New York Yankees or Minnesota Twins for a spot in the World Series. The Yankees lead that best-of-five series 2-0.
Boston was last swept out of the playoffs in 2005, the same year that was the last time the Red Sox squandered a four-run lead in a playoff game.
The Red Sox led 6-4 entering the ninth inning but the Angels rallied when just one out from defeat as Erick Aybar hit a two-out single up the middle and Red Sox closing relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon walked Chone Figgins.
Bobby Abreu followed with a single off the giant left-field wall known as the "Green Monster", scoring Aybar and sending Figgins to third with the tying run. Abreu was the third Angel in a row to answer when down to his last strike.
Hunter was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting up a force out at any base, but Vladimir Guerrero singled to centerfield to score Figgins and Abreu and give the Angels a 7-6 lead to complete the stunning reversal.
"Vlady came through with a big hit right there, probably one of the biggest of his career," Hunter said. "And Abreu, that was a clutch hit off the Green Monster to keep the inning alive."
The Red Sox lifted Papelbon, who had not allowed a run in 27 prior playoff innings, in favor of Japanese left-hander Hideki Okajima, who finally obtained the last out ? ending the onslaught one batter too late for Boston.
Los Angeles set down the Red Sox in order in the ninth and a shocked crowd at historic Fenway Park was sent walking to the exits in near-disbelief. The Red Sox hit only .158 for the series in falling.
J.D. Drew smashed a two-run homer to centerfield off Angels' pitcher Scott Kazmir to boost Boston's lead to 5-1. It was the first homer of the series for the Red Sox.
The Angels loaded the bases with none out in the sixth inning but managed only one run as Juan Rivera grounded into a double play that scored Torii Hunter and Maicer Izturis flew out, leaving the Red Sox with a 5-2 edge.
Los Angeles put runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth inning when the Red Sox brought in Papelbon to face Rivera, who was hitless in eight prior times at-bat against Papelbon.
Rivera snapped his streak of frustration against the Boston hurler by smacking the first pitch he saw, a fastball, into right field for a single that drove in Guerrero and Abreu and pulled the Angels within 5-4.
Pinch-runner Reggie Willits was picked off by Papelbon, but the damage had been done.
Boston added an insurance run in response in the eighth when Mike Lowell singled down the right-field line to score pinch-runner Joey Gathright from second. Gathright entered and stole second base after David Ortiz singled.
Boston's Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run double to open the scoring and crossed home plate himself on a Victor Martinez single in the third inning to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.
Kendry Morales smacked a solo homer over the right-field wall in the fourth inning off Boston starting pitcher Clay Buchholz to pull the Angels within 3-1.
