Slugger also made sure to have field day in left

And the defensive hero of the night was . . . Manny Ramírez?

Sure, his bat helped. His two singles and three walks in five plate appearances. His two runs and three RBIs (two coming on bases-loaded free passes). But that was expected - as unfair as that might be - from one of the hottest bats in the postseason.

The catches? Now, those were the fun part, especially in a 10-3 blowout like last night's Red Sox victory over the Indians in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

Ramirez got to stop, drop, and roll on his catch (or trap, which replays showed it to be) in the eighth inning, a liner by Asdrubal Cabrera that was eaten up by the onrushing left fielder. His hat popped off, revealing his omnipresent head covering. That drew a smile from not just the capacity crowd, but Ramírez as well.

Bobby Kielty, asked to judge the play, gave the effort a 9. Not a bad score.

"The reason he was able to make that one, he takes some line drives away because he does play shallow out there," said Kielty, who added that he thought the liner was caught, from his vantage point. "I think it is a good strategy at times, because you do take line drives away."

Though Ramírez's positioning was questioned earlier this season, as his decision to creep toward home plate allowed a couple of would-be outs to land safely over his head for doubles, the ploy worked last night. Worked - and added flair, to boot.

So, why insert Jacoby Ellsbury, who pinch ran after Ramírez's final walk, as a defensive replacement in the eighth? He's perhaps more sure of himself in left field, but less exciting, that's for certain.

"It was great; he made two great plays," Kevin Youkilis said of Ramírez. "Big plays. Stopped rallies. Everyone always says how bad he is, but he's a pretty good defender a lot of the time."

But it wasn't only that line drive that Ramírez ran down. Kenny Lofton lost a hit on a running, reaching grab by Ramírez on which it appeared the left fielder was borrowing from the stylings of an outfield mate. So much for Coco Crisp being the best defensive outfielder on the field last night. Perhaps he should have been taking notes. Or not.

Ramírez will never be known for his defense. It's lackadaisical at times. It's deliberate. It's amusing. It's sublime. And sometimes it's all of those at once.

So, while offense remains Ramírez's thing, the part of his game that will take him to Cooperstown one day, his glove flashed almost as loudly as his bat last night. (Though not quite, for a guy who has reached base in 13 of his 18 plate appearances in this postseason.) Probably an aberration, but certainly one that broke up the seemingly inevitable march to a Red Sox win, bringing some fun to the later innings. Ramírez, of course, didn't acknowledge the feat much in the dugout afterward. He was his usual self, his personality not changing.

That's why Dustin Pedroia smiled - and laughed a little - at the thought, or the image, of Ramírez's leather skills.

"He played great," Pedroia said. "Those two plays, they helped us out a ton. I mean, the one, even though it was a sac fly, the ball gets by him, it's a double. He's been good out there. Everyone loves Manny, his personality, the way he goes about his business.

"It's great to see him do something without swinging a bat."