Sox sparked by one who got away from Rays

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 29, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Getty Images] Boston rookie Jacoby Ellsbury heads back to the bag after leading off the game with a double.

DENVER - Jacoby Ellsbury could have been a Devil Ray.

Instead, he's a Red Sox rookie.

And a World Series star.

In Saturday's 10-5 win, he became the first rookie in more than 60 years to have four hits in a Series game, and the third overall. He was the eighth player overall to have three doubles, and the second to have two in one inning, all while batting leadoff.

In Sunday's Series closer he got the Sox started again with a leadoff double and came around to score in the first. Then he made a running catch in left for the second out in the ninth.

"He plays with a lot of confidence, and there's a reason: He's a good player and he's aware of the situations around him. He prepares," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "So it's not just false bravado or acting like he's confident. He should be confident. He's a good player and he knows how to play the game."

Ellsbury, 24, was a 23rd-round pick of the Rays in 2002 draft but decided to pass on their offer and accept a scholarship to Oregon State, where he became a second-team All-American and, in 2005, a first-round pick of the Red Sox.

Regrets about the Rays?

"It was 50-50, basically," Ellsbury said Sunday. "It was a tough decision, a real tough decision. I wanted to go to college, but, I don't know, it was tough. ...

"It definitely worked out. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Certainly not lately. His 2007 season has been a wild ride from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Pawtucket to the major leagues (where he hit .353 in 33 games) to the postseason roster to the starting lineup in Game 6 of the ALCS. And now to the Series spotlight.

"When I was in Double A, I was just trying to get to Triple A," Ellsbury said. "When I was at Triple A, I was just trying to get a September callup. When I got the news that I was going to be put on the playoff roster, that was huge."

Ellsbury, the first player of Navajo descent to play in the majors, has given the Sox a lot to be proud of. They are pleased with his impressive performance but not surprised given his maturity, his approach and his skills.

General manager Theo Epstein said Ellsbury's "ability and his aptitude, I think, are off the charts," and that he fit the Red Sox scouting profile of a player who can succeed in Boston, given the grand stage, extensive media coverage and lofty expectations. Assistant GM Allard Baird described him as having "survival skills."

So what, the speedy outfielder was asked, is it like to be Jacoby Ellsbury?

"You know, it's great right now," he said "I'm enjoying it, but at the same time I really haven't had too much time to sit back and think about it too much."

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 01:17:54]