BOSTON -- It was the same old story at Fenway Park yesterday, with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez making the clutch plays in the last inning to win a game for the Red Sox. This one was a 7-6 thriller over Anaheim in 11 innings.

What was different was the way they did it.

Ortiz had still another walk-off game-winning hit, this time not one of his signature home runs, but rather a routine ground ball left of second base. For most hitters it would have been an out. But because the Angels had the shift on with three infielders on the right side, there was no one there. The ball rolled into left-center and scored Alex Gonzalez from second base without a throw.

It was the fourth time this season, and the 11th time in the last three years, that Ortiz has had a walk-off hit to win a game for Boston.

"You just feel like you know he's going to get a hit," said Boston manager Terry Francona, echoing the feeling of so many Sox fans. "They have to shift because of who he is. He ends up staying on the ball and getting what a lot of times is a groundout for 95 percent of the league. For David, it's a game-winner."

Ortiz's fourth hit and fourth RBI of the day was all the more satisfying because he did exactly what he was trying to do. This time, he was not trying to blast one.

The Angels brought in lefty reliever J.C. Romero to face him. Ortiz had clouted a huge home run into the bleachers in center in his previous trip to the plate, in the eighth. Boston had runners on first and second with one out after Gonzalez, and Kevin Youkilis had singled off Hector Carrasco.

"The guy is throwing a hard sinker," Ortiz said. "If I try to pull it, it would have been a ground ball to first base. I said, 'Forget it. I'm just going to try to stay inside the ball and try to hit it the other way.' "

Ortiz, who at times has expressed frustration that the shift has robbed him of hits, took no extra pleasure by beating the shift this time.

"It's going to keep happening. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," he said.

The one run was enough because of Ramirez. His big contribution was with his arm, not his bat. In the top of the 11th, the Angels had a runner on second and one out when Maicer Izturis singled through the shortstop hole.

Ramirez, playing shallow as he likes to do, came in, picked it up and fired a one-hop strike to the plate. Jason Varitek made the catch and tagged out Mike Napoli on a close play.

"If that ball's off at all, he's safe," Francona said. "That was a good play."

"It was huge," said reliever Jonathan Papelbon, who threw two perfect innings to keep the score tied before Julian Tavarez came on in the 10th to get the victory. "Manny plays shallow, but you still have to make the perfect throw."

"He throws the straightest ball of any left fielder I've ever played with. He's on the money," said third baseman Mike Lowell, another of the Boston stars on the day. "He didn't panic. He took his time, then fired home and he threw a strike."

The heroics by Ortiz and Ramirez ended one of the most entertaining games of the season on one of the most beautiful days of the year. The usual sellout (35,621) was treated to all kinds of twists and turns. Chone Figgins, Jered Weaver and Curtis Pride all played key roles for the Angels, while Lowell, Youkilis, Josh Beckett and Papelbon were pivotal for Boston.

On any other day, Figgins would have received most of the plaudits.

The speedy jack-of-all-trades played center. He had 11 putouts, all in the first six innings, the most of any major-league center fielder since Ken Griffey had 11 for Seattle on June 12, 1997. At the plate, he had a single and two walks, stole two bases to up his league lead to 40 (which is six more than Boston has as a team) and scored three times. Figgins also made a great slide at the plate, tagging the base with his hand, to score on a grounder to short with the Boston infield in.

Weaver, bidding to become the first rookie pitcher to win his first eight starts since Fernando Valenzuela did it for the Dodgers 25 years ago went 6 2/3 innings.

The Sox reached him for seven hits and three runs, both the highest totals he has allowed this season. Weaver left with a 5-3 lead in the seventh, thanks to a two-run homer over the Boston bullpen by Pride off Craig Hansen in the top of the inning. Pride, who played for Boston and Pawtucket earlier in his career, was recalled from Salt Lake City only last week.

Anaheim got its lead to 6-3 in the eighth before the Sox rallied for three to tie it. The key hit, besides the Ortiz homer, was a bloop two-run, ground-rule double to right by Lowell. It was his league-high 37th double and it came off Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez.

"He's got incredible stuff. His slider is electric. It's hard," Lowell said. "He threw me a fastball in. I got jammed. It was a good pitch, a bad swing and a lucky result. I'll take it. It looks great."

It was that kind of day with close plays, twists and turns, and finally clutch plays to end it. It's never a surprise when Ortiz and Ramirez are the ones deciding the game. This time, the only surprise was the way they did it.

pkenyon@projo.com / (401) 277-7340