Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis doubled in the bottom half to tie it and spare Beckett the loss.

In all, Beckett was charged with four runs on nine hits and four walks, striking out six in five innings. The fiery right-hander, who shut out the Angels in Game 1 of last year's first-round sweep, saw his postseason ERA balloon to 2.09 from 1.73, which had been the third-best in baseball history (minimum 40 innings).

Joe Saunders, who was making his first postseason start, received a rough initiation.

He gave up four runs on five hits and four walks, striking out two in 4 2-3 innings. But instead of the line-drive homers that cost Beckett, Saunders was hurt most by a fluke popup that dropped to the grass for the three-run single.

After the Red Sox loaded the bases on two walks and Jason Varitek's single, Ellsbury worked the count full and lofted a blooper to short center. Hunter came in, Kendrick and Aybar went out, and at the last minute Hunter and Kendrick gave up on it and let it fall.

Crisp, running all the way with two outs, scored easily from first, while Ellsbury held up with a single. It was the first three-run single in postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and it gave Boston a 3-1 lead.

The Angels went 68 straight playoff innings without a homer before Napoli's shot in the third. ... The paid attendance of 39,067 was the largest at Fenway Park since World War II. ... Twelve of Boston's first 15 runs in the series were scored with two outs. ... Drew was not in the starting lineup as he rested his ailing back. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. ... Dustin Pedroia, a candidate for AL MVP honors, is 0-for-13 in the series.

--Napoli hit a second home run in the fifth inning. He is the first Angel to have a multi-homer game in the postseason since Tim Salmon hit two home runs in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.

--RHP Jered Weaver made the first relief appearance of his major league career when he pitched the 11th and 12th innings of Game 3. Weaver allowed one hit and walked one while striking out three and earned the first playoff win of his career.

--DH Vladimir Guerrero was 2-for-4 with a double and two walks in Game 3. He is 7-for-12 in the AL Division Series but still has just one RBI in his past 15 postseason games.

--RHP John Lackey will start Game 4 for the Angels. Lackey allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings in Game 1 but took the loss thanks to a two-run home run he allowed to Jason Bay in the sixth inning. "Honestly, I'm not planning on making too many adjustments," Lackey said. "I felt pretty good last time out there."