Even without their spiritual leader or technical captain on the play field, the Bostons were too much for the Baltimores in the Fens to-night. The Hub heroes were more robust with the wood, and "Wicked" Lester's brilliant boxwork had the Balti-birds introducing heads to walls.

Only a select few Franconamen had been permitted by Guthrie to safely roam the base-paths before the fifth. It was then that Ellsbury got the tally-fest started with a quarter-dong. The shining star of recent weeks, Drew, put men on second and third with a deuce. The Mid-Atlantic Aves then had to bite the bullet, relinquish first base to the Amazing Manny at no cost, and take their chances with Lowell. The third sacker imposed tribulation upon the Mary-landers, as he lofted a majestic one over the Wall and into the league's most expensive cheap seats for the elusive Grand Dong.

The Charm City Air-Kitties tried a come-back a frame later, knocking Lester around, but nowhere near to the lengths his lymphoma did. And like the kid beat cancer in the end, he'd also get a W against these O's.

Two more big blasts were added to the fusillade of New Englanders' hits in the late innings. The Swingin' Sweater Youkilis scaled the Monster in the seventh, and Drew pulled one to the neck-craners in right in the eighth, each plating himself and another man.

Neither Delcarmen nor Timlin allowed a hit in his three outs of work, and before two and three-quarter hours had passed, the Bostons claimed victory, 9 to 2.

Now it's on to Cincinnati, O., where the first-place Bostons have not met the Redlegs since 1975 in that season's Fall Classic.