Youkilis on the upswing

Had it not been for that huge Coke bottle strapped to the light stanchion above the Green Monster, the ball Kevin Youkilis hit in the eight inning last night might have imperiled Mass. Pike motorists, skipped across the Charles River, and slowly come to a roll on this side of the Canadian border.

For a guy with spotty success at the plate for much of the second half of the regular season, the Red Sox first baseman has sure found his stroke.

"It felt great," said Youkilis, still on the field more than an hour after his mammoth shot piled two more runs onto the Red Sox 11-2 hammering of the Indians last night in the decisive seventh game of the American League Championship Series. "It felt great to get that good pop I need, to come to the plate with confidence . . . and to know, we are going to the World Series."

Blistering hot from the outset of the season, the hard-working Youkilis, ever flawless at first base, saw his average whittle back considerably after finishing May with a .354 average. He lost 28 points in June, another 22 in July, 14 more in August. Finally a little more comfortable in September, he wrapped up the year with a respectable .288.

But what a burn he has been on of late. He entered last night a white-hot .478 for the ALCS and then went 3 for 5 again in Game 7, wrapping up the series an almost unfathomable .500. Sox starter Josh Beckett was named the series MVP, but it easily could have gone to the sharp-eyed Youkilis.

"His bat has really come alive," said Sox skipper Terry Francona, noting that Youkilis had to overcome injuries that no doubt hampered his swing and production. "I think as his body feels better, and got a little bit of rest . . . his bat is quick. And he just doesn't always hit singles."

Key in this series was the fact that Youkilis only got hotter as Boston's famed 3-4 hitters, David Oritiz and Manny Ramírez, began to sputter. Sputter, of course, is a relative term. Ortiz still finished .292 for the series, while Ramirez, 1 for 3 last night, wrapped it up at .409.

"If you make a mistake, he can drive the ball out of the park," added Francona, who no doubt will slot Youkilis back into his No. 2 spot against the Rockies in the World Series. "His defense has been spectacular all year - and you put that bat in front of David and Manny, it gets interesting."

The game over, and a few thousand fans still left in the stands, Youkilis spent extra time milling around the infield with his teammates, sharing hugs, and taking time out for TV interviews. About an hour after Coco Crisp made a tremendous running catch in center for the final out, there was Youkilis, microphone in hand, addressing the loyal members of Red Sox Nation who stuck around to bask in the winning glow.

"We proved it!" he told them. "We proved we could win. That's all we needed was faith . . . See you in Game 1." And with that, U2's "Beautiful Day" began to pour through the old ballyard's PA system.

Youkilis, following Dustin Pedroia in the order, followed Pedroia's first-inning single with a single of his own. In the third, he added another hit, leading off with a double, and eventually coming around with the 3-0 lead when Mike Lowell drove a sacrifice fly to right. After fanning in the fifth and grounding out in the seventh, he teed up the kill shot off the Coke bottles that finished the scoring.

Jacoby Ellsbury, on third base, scored in front of Youkilis.

"I just went back to tag up, because you do that automatically," said Ellsbury. "He sure hit that one."

With October coming to a close, and only four wins separating the Sox from their second championship in four years, the sure-swinging Youkilis is sure hitting just about everything.

"When this team is clicking," said Youkilis, "this team is dangerous. We believe in ourselves . . . It's not a game of time, but a game of outs . . . We take it inning by inning, and pitch by pitch."

And, when appropriate, homer by homer.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.