Hideki Okajima escaped an eighth-inning jam yesterday by striking out Barry Bonds with two runners on base and no outs.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson Glenn Osmundson

BOSTON — Jonathan Papelbon was credited with the save, working a spotless ninth in Boston’s 1-0 victory over San Francisco yesterday at Fenway Park.

But the game was secured in the eighth inning, for all intents and purposes, during one at-bat, actually.

Barry Bonds, the man poised to become the majors’ all-time leader in home runs, was at the plate.

Red Sox’ rookie left-hander Hideki Okajima was on the mound, trying to protect a 1-0 lead with runners at first and second with none out in the eighth inning, a jam of his own making on a walk and a single.

Okajima missed with his first two pitches, a pair of curveballs. So with the count of 2-and-0, pitching coach John Farrell sauntered out to the mound for a visit with Okajima, who was uncharacteristically struggling with his control.

Okajima had been falling out of his delivery, so there was a mechanical issue that needed to be addressed. Farrell, though, wanted to loosen up Okajima, who was feeling a bit of pressure, trying to preserve a lead for countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka, who had lost some tight games lately.

“How’s your health? How’s everything?” That’s what Farrell asked Okajima, according to Okajima, through a translator.

He also said something else.

“Just challenge him,” said Okajima.

After Farrell left the mound, Okajima suddenly took control of the situation.

He dropped in a 79-mph curveball, the third breaking ball in as many pitches in the at-bat, for a called strike.

And then he and catcher Jason Varitek seemingly messed with Bonds’ head.

Okajima threw a fastball on 2-and-1 count. He does not throw heat. He throws an 87-mph fastball, tops, which is what he threw to Bonds. The Giants’ slugger was so surprised, that he took this cookie, which was down the middle, not close to where Varitek wanted it, for strike two, knotting the count at 2-and-2.

Then, with Bonds clearly looking for another breaking ball, Okajima threw another 87-mph fastball. This one had some movement from a bit inside to over the plate, and again Bonds, who has 747 home runs in his career was frozen, taking this pitch for strike three.

“I knew that Barry Bonds was looking for something outside. Varitek wanted the pitch inside. The result was good,” said Okajima.

That strikeout stuck a fork in the Giants for the inning, and for the game. Bengie Molina flied to right and pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen bounced into a force-out, keeping it a 1-0 game in the eighth, and Papelbon wrapped it up shortly thereafter.

Beware of the sun

A lack of communication by Red Sox outfielders Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew almost proved disastrous in the first inning with Dave Roberts running at second base with one out.

The high ball, hit by Ray Durham to right-center, went into the sun. Drew looked at Crisp. Crisp looked at Drew. When Crisp realized Drew wasn’t going for the ball, he lunged for it and managed to catch it while landing on his stomach.

The indecision worked to the Sox’ advantage. Roberts didn’t know what to do as he was watching it all play out. Ultimately Roberts was stranded at second.

The bright sun, coupled with the late starting time (3:58 first pitch), also caused problems for Giants rookie right fielder Nate Schierholtz, and he gave a textbook demonstration of how to track a fly ball in the sun when Pedroia lofted one his way.

Schierholtz, who was wearing sunglasses, put his glove up to shield his eyes, and also turned sideways as the ball was nearing him, trying to give himself the best angle to see the ball. He clearly was fighting the sun, but was able to make the catch.

Shift on Bonds backfires

The Sox’ shift on Bonds put Boston in a bind in the sixth inning.

The Giants had runners at first and second with no outs, so Bonds couldn’t be intentionally walked, as he had been twice already in the series, including once yesterday.

The Sox pulled Dustin Pedroia, the second baseman, over in the hole and onto the outfield grass, while moving shortstop Alex Cora to the second-base side of the bag. Third baseman Mike Lowell, who generally moves over to the normal shortstop spot in this alignment, had to play a more normal third base because the Giants had a runner at second.

Bonds smacked a perfect double-play grounder to the right side, maybe 25 feet from the bag. Cora fielded the ball cleanly, but had no play at second because the Sox didn’t have anyone close enough to cover the bag.

So he got the out at first, but that left the Giants with runners at second and third with one out with Boston clinging to a 1-0 lead. Matsuzaka, though, wriggled out of the inning without giving up a run.

The same situation arose in the eighth, runners at first and second and none out with Bonds up. The shift wasn’t as drastic. Cora was positioned directly behind the bag and Pedroia was barely on the outfield grass. It didn’t matter. Bonds looked at a third strike.

Dice-K stifles Giants’ bats

By the third inning, it was clear that San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy, getting his first look at Matsuzaka, knew he couldn’t expect the Giants to score a bunch of runs off the Red Sox right-hander.

So after a passed ball left the Sox with Crisp at third with one out and a 3-and-2 count on Drew in a 0-0 game, Bochy brought his infield in, not wanting to give Boston one run that early in the game.

The strategy worked because of an outstanding pitch by Matt Cain. After Drew had fouled off a 3-and-2 fastball, Cain threw a changeup. Drew couldn’t hold himself back, his body moving forward, clearly expecting a fastball. All he could do was use his arms to throw his bat at the ball, generating a weak fly ball to shallow left field for an out. It was too shallow to permit Crisp to tag up.

Pedroia then flied to left, keeping it a 0-0 game.

skrasner@projo.com