BOSTON — There is a very distinct sound that is made when a batter makes perfect contact with a pitched ball.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has the ability to make that noise quite often.

His two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning last night gave Boston a dramatic, 5-4, come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park.

As Ortiz smoked a 3-1 offering off Devil Rays closer Al Reyes, the ball barely made it over the right-field wall. It wasn’t Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair in the World Series, but Ortiz put a lot of body language into it to make sure it counted.

“It was a good pitch by my boy Reyes, but I put a good swing on it,” said Ortiz. “It worked out.”

The multi-homer night was his 28th overall with the Red Sox and he’s now third on the all-time list behind Ted Williams and Jim Rice in that category. It was Ortiz’s first walk-off homer this season and his 10th for Boston.

When he first lifted the high fly ball to deep right field, the players on the bench didn’t know whether it had enough to get over.

“I had no angle and I was too busy blowing on it,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “Actually, I didn’t know it was a home run when it was a home run. I saw the ball bounce and I thought it hit the wall.”

It didn’t and the homer gave the Red Sox the win and the momentum as the New York Yankees come to town this weekend. For Ortiz, his offensive prowess of late has been impressive, especially with the absence of Manny Ramirez (strained oblique) in the order. Ortiz has also battled injuries all season, so last night gave Boston another boost.

“It’s that time of year, and your guys know it,” said Francona. “He’s definitely one of those guys. He had good swings all night. He lined out a couple of times and he was seeing the ball very well.”

Even though Ortiz was the hero for the night with his big stick, he wasn’t alone.

That firecracker-type pop that Ortiz has shown, had been a dud with Red Sox’ J.D. Drew of late, but over the last few games the often-booed right fielder for Boston has found a spark and it appears his bat is ready to explode.

Heading into the stretch run, and a postseason berth within reach of the Red Sox, Drew’s offense needs to be consistent if Boston is to enjoy success.

He went 2-for-2 last night and has now hit safely in five straight games, going 8-for-14 with 3 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI and 7 runs scored.

“He’s taking healthy swings,” said Francona. “He’s swinging at strikes and he’s getting the bounces, [like] when that ball [in his first at-bat] hit a rock and bounced over first. But his baserunning was outstanding [when he turned a single into a double in his second at-bat]. We’ve said it time and again that if we get J.D. going we’re a different looking ballclub.”

That appears to be true now. His approach exudes more confidence and not only do his hits stand out, but the walks he’s been able to draw are just as important.

As the Red Sox prepare for a crucial three-game set with the New York Yankees, beginning tomorrow following an off-day for Boston, Drew’s contributions the rest of the way will be a significant component if he’s able to keep it going.

Ortiz gave Boston a jump-start for the weekend.

After Tampa put a 4-spot on the board in the top of the first inning off Red Sox starter Jon Lester last night, Ortiz came through with a three-run homer in the third inning. It was the slugger’s 30th roundtripper and 100, 101 and 101st RBI of the season as he’s reached the 30-100 plateau for the fifth consecutive year.

The offense on both sides went stale for the final six innings until Ortiz provided the BOOM in the bottom of the ninth.

“All we have to do is play and try to win games,” he said. “Right now we’re focused on coming in on Friday and doing what we can against those guys.”

jmcdonal@projo.com