He played a hero's role

David McCarty has been around a while.

The Red Sox' 34-year-old first baseman/outfielder/pitcher was a first-round pick of the Twins in 1991, and in addition to playing for them, he's also seen action with the Giants, Mariners, Royals, Devil Rays, and Athletics.

He has had 3,029 minor league at-bats and 1,491 major league plate appearances, and he said he couldn't remember hitting a walk-off home run before yesterday.

It could not have come at a better time for the Red Sox. In a game with more subplots than an episode of "The Shield," McCarty capped off a 9-7 12-inning Boston victory by slamming his second home run of the season, a rocket into the center field bleachers off Seattle's J.J. Putz.

"I don't know if I have had a walk-off homer before . . . I know I've had walk-off hits," said McCarty, who entered the game in the eighth inning and doubled in the bottom half. "I've had pinch hits off closers to tie games or put us ahead, but I think I've only done it on the road, never at home."

Putz, in his third inning of relief, was tiring. He hit the previous batter, Jason Varitek, then missed the strike zone with three consecutive pitches.

That's when manager Terry Francona gave his utility player the green light.

"You always expect to get the green light, but if you don't, you just take the pitch," said McCarty, a non-roster invitee this spring who is batting .326 in May (14 for 43) with five doubles, a triple, two homers, and seven RBIs in 22 games.

"We got a good fastball hitter and an obvious fastball count, and he put a great swing on it," said Francona. "You got him in a fastball spot, and boy he really put a nice swing on it."

So much for a walk being as good as a hit.

"It's been fairly common for us this year," said McCarty. "We have a veteran team that knows what to look for and what not to. We tend to have guys who are patient at the plate, too. So situations like that, Tito's been willing to give us the green light."

"It's up to the hitter," said Francona. "We have good hitters who have used very good discipline in those situations. That's why they are hitting 3-0. There's a lot of trust there. They know what to do and what not to do."

McCarty was hoping for a thigh-high fastball, just a little in. "You've got to really focus on one area, one pitch," he said. "The situation is: If it's there, hit it and let it fly, and if it's not, lay off it."

Putz put the pitch right where McCarty wanted it. "I wasn't trying to hit the ball out of the park," said McCarty. "I was just trying to drive the ball. Varitek has good speed and I figured if I hit it in the gap, he could score."

He thought he hit it well enough for a homer. "But this is a strange park," said McCarty. "The wind does funny things. I knew I hit it well enough to at least get it off the wall, and that it probably was gone."

The team was waiting for McCarty as he rounded third and trotted home. "It was really nice," he said. "It's a very good feeling. You can't get too high from it. It's a long season. You can't get too excited and you can't get too down.

"I love playing here. Most of the teams I've played on in my career have not been winners. Being here last year and experiencing that, just the excitement of it . . . I love it. I thrive on it. I really can't wait to come to the park every day."

He knows reserves like himself and Cesar Crespo, Gabe Kapler, and Andy Dominique have key roles on this team.

"If you want to really win and go to the playoffs, you've got to have everybody contribute," he said. "You can't count on the same guys every day. You just can't count on Manny [Ramirez] and [David] Ortiz doing it for you every night. That's not really that fair to expect it from them."

He won't soon forget his walk-off shot. "On a baseball field, that's about as good as it gets," he said. "I hope later in the year there are better ones. But we'll have to wait, see, and hope."