Jacoby Ellsbury reacts after being ejected in the fifth inning.

AP photo / Charles Krupa

BOSTON — It was a sequence of three intertwined plays that helped the Red Sox to a 1-0 victory over the Royals on Friday night at Fenway Park.

Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was ejected from the game in the bottom of the fifth inning for throwing his helmet. Rocco Baldelli replaced him and connected with second baseman Dustin Pedroia on a game-saving double play in the top of the seventh inning.

“It was a really good baseball play and it probably saved us the game,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ellsbury attempted to score from third while Mark Kotsay was in a rundown between first and second. Ellsbury was clearly safe on the play at the plate, but was called out. He threw his helmet in disgust and was ejected from the game.

“I thought I got in there,” said Ellsbury. “I spiked my helmet in frustration. ... It was a point in the game, 0-0, it’s a pretty critical run, and I thought I got in there. Obviously, it wasn’t the best thing to spike my helmet. It was just a frustration play, I guess.”

As soon as Ellsbury was tossed, an animated Francona came sprinting out of the dugout to argue with home-plate umpire Derryl Cousins.

“I thought he was safe,” Francona said. “I thought it should have been an equipment violation and $100 [fine] and everybody stays in the game.”

It was the first time Ellsbury has been ejected from a game, but it ended up working out for the Red Sox.

Baldelli was in the batting cage behind the Sox’ dugout and watching the game on TV when Ellsbury was ejected, and he knew he was now in the game.

With the game still tied in the top of the seventh inning, Kansas City had runners on first and second with no outs when the Royals’ Miguel Olivo lifted a fly ball to deep center field.

Baldelli made his way back to the wall and made the catch on the warning track. Both runners attempted to tag on the play, but Baldelli quickly made an off-balance throw to second base. Pedroia applied the tag on Mark Teahen and kept his glove on him as he slid over the bag to finish the double play.

“I really didn’t think about it,” said Baldelli. “As soon as I caught it, I just threw it in as fast as I could.”

If Ellsbury were still in the game, he probably wouldn’t have made the play, and the Royals would have had runners on second and third with one out, and the outcome could have been different.

“Rocco made a tremendous throw,” Ellsbury said. “That was a big out.”

“I didn’t know if the guy was safe or out,” Baldelli said. “I knew it was a close play. After I got to see it on the replay, Pedey did a great job staying with the play. He wasn’t going to be denied if that runner came off the bag.”

The play proved crucial, because Pedroia provided the game’s lone run with an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning. Boston certainly proved that baseball really is a game of inches Friday night.

jmcdonal@projo.com