The symbolism was too delicious to ignore. While Jason Bay took batting practice before his first playoff game last October against the Los Angeles Angels, Manny Ramirez literally towered over Angel Stadium. The former Red Sox left fielder was on the scoreboard batting for the Los Angeles Dodgers when he golfed a home run to help down the Chicago Cubs. A Red Sox official swore. But by the end of the weekend, no one would be worried about Ramirez, least of all Bay, his replacement in left field.
In fact, if there was a time for the question, ``How does it feel to replace Manny?'' to stop being asked, it was last year's Division Series.
Making his first postseason one to remember, Bay hit .412, slugged two homers and won Game 1 in Anaheim, Calif., with a two-run shot off John Lackey in the sixth inning of a 1-0 game. ``I think more than anything it kind of allowed me to relax,'' Bay said before working out at Fenway Park yesterday. ``I had a couple of good games and it was like, `OK, I haven't dug this hole.' It doesn't always happen that way. I guess I got lucky in that regard.''
With the Red Sox preparing to face the Angels again in a Division Series that opens in Anaheim, likely on Thursday night, Bay was asked to reflect on what last year's matchup meant to him. In addition to the Game 1 homer, he pulverized an Ervin Santana fastball for a three-run shot in the first inning of Game 2.
``I know a lot was made of it,'' Bay said. ``I had two strikeouts against Lackey and then the home run, but for me, my most impressive at-bat was my next one. I faced Scot Shields and hit a ground-rule double down the right field line. If you watch me all year, the right field line is not huge on my spray chart. But if I'm doing stuff like that and going pole to pole, I'm covering a lot of pitches.''
Bay finished his first postseason, which ended in an ALCS Game 7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, with a .341 average, three homers and nine RBI. He is now considered a proven playoff performer. The Ramirez questions have dried up.
``It meant a lot more to me just to be in that situation,'' Bay said. ``The question was if I could do it in the playoffs. But if you don't get the opportunity, through no fault of your own, then you don't know how you can do.
``All you've got to do is play a couple of times and all of a sudden you've got the `playoff experience' tag.''
- jtomase@bostonherald.com
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