Boston, MA (Best E Casino) - J.D. Drew hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the game-winning RBI single in the ninth, and the Boston Red Sox staved off elimination by erasing a seven-run deficit in a miraculous 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

David Ortiz belted a three-run home run in a four-run seventh inning for the Red Sox, who scored eight times in the last three innings to send the series back to St. Petersburg. The Rays still lead the series 3-2, but they can't feel too confident after being on the wrong side of the biggest comeback in ALCS history and in Red Sox postseason history.

The win is the second-biggest comeback victory in major league postseason history, just behind Game 4 of the 1929 World Series, when the Philadelphia Athletics rallied from down 8-0 to beat the Chicago Cubs.

"Everybody knew that we needed to win the ballgame. It doesn't matter how you do it," Drew said. "We didn't want to go down 7-0, but there's a lot of fight in that dugout, and a lot of guys knew as soon as we got some runs on the board, we could get something going."

The Red Sox are no strangers to ALCS comebacks, as they improved to 8-1 in elimination games under manager Terry Francona -- 8-0 in ALCS elimination games -- thanks to the historic rally from down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in 2004, and last year's comeback from down 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians.

"I can't say the game was exciting because the first six innings we did nothing. They had their way with us every way possible," Francona said. "And then this place came unglued, and we've seen that before. But because of the situation we're in, it just -- that was pretty magical."

Tampa Bay right-hander James Shields will try to prevent that ALCS elimination game record from reaching 9-0 in Game 6 on Saturday night. He will be opposed by Josh Beckett, the Red Sox right-hander who is usually a sure thing in October, but has struggled this postseason due to an oblique injury.

The odds still favor the Rays. Twelve of the 15 teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in a league championship series have gone on to win, but two of those teams to rebound were the Red Sox under Francona.

"It's one game, it's a loss," Rays skipper Joe Maddon said. "Obviously we're in a pretty good position to move on. If you dwell on something like that and you permit your mind to dwell in that negative mode, then nothing good can happen after that. We'll lose heart for about a half hour or so, get on that plane, go home, and then we'll come back out for Game 6 and roll it out there again."

After Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler gave up four and three runs, respectively, to waste a great performance by Scott Kazmir, the Rays still had a chance to take the lead in the ninth. Justin Masterson allowed two runners to reach with one out, but Carlos Pena grounded into a double play to set the stage for Drew in the home half.

J.P. Howell retired Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz to start the ninth, and Kevin Youkilis grounded to third. Evan Longoria's throw one-hopped Pena at first, bouncing off his glove and into the stands, sending Youkilis to second.

Longoria's error kept the inning alive, and Howell intentionally walked Jason Bay to work to Drew. The left-left matchup didn't work for the Rays, though, as Drew sent a liner to right that Gabe Gross initially broke in on. He turned back too late, and the ball bounced over his head and over the wall. Drew never took second, instead turning to join in the celebration of one of the most incredible comebacks in baseball history.

"You feel pretty good about a seven-run lead at that part of the game with Grant (Balfour) and Danny (Wheeler) coming into it, it just didn't want to happen," Maddon said. "There goes Papi and there goes Drew. I mean, that just can happen at any time."

Masterson (1-0) picked up the win for the scoreless ninth, while Howell (0-1) was saddled with the loss.

B.J. Upton belted his sixth homer of the postseason, a two-run blast in the first inning, and added a two-run double in the seventh for Tampa Bay. Pena hit a two-run homer and Longoria followed with a solo shot in the third off of Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was chased after allowing five runs on five hits in four-plus innings.

Kazmir struck out seven and allowed just two hits and three walks in six innings for Tampa Bay. The young lefty dazzled the Red Sox after a rough outing at home in Game 2, validating Maddon's decision to flip him and Shields, who started against Matsuzaka in Game 1.

Matsuzaka was hurt by the long ball after dominating the young Tampa Bay lineup in Boston's 2-0 Game 1 win. The Rays have hit 13 homers in the series, breaking the ALCS record of 12, set by Boston in 2003.

Tampa Bay was poised to clinch the first pennant in franchise history after Boston reliever Manny Delcarmen walked two in the seventh, and Upton plated both with double off of Jonathan Papelbon. The Red Sox closer settled in to toss two scoreless frames, though, and his offense came to life in the home half of the seventh.

Balfour surrendered a leadoff double to Jed Lowrie and a two-out single to Coco Crisp. Pedroia lined a single to right, plating Lowrie from third, and bringing the scuffling Ortiz to the plate.

Balfour left a fastball down and in to Ortiz, and he jacked it deep into the stands in right, slicing the deficit to 7-4. Ortiz, a .317 career postseason hitter prior to 2008, is hitting .167 (6-for-36) in this year's playoffs.

After Papelbon set the Rays down in order in the eighth, Drew launched another blast for the Red Sox in the home half. Wheeler walked Bay on four pitches to start the inning, and Drew belted a shot to right, cutting the Tampa Bay lead to one run.

Mark Kotsay then doubled to center with two outs, and Crisp followed with a line drive to right. Gross pulled his throw into the ground, allowing Kotsay to score easily, but Pena caught the poorly thrown ball on a few hops and threw out Crisp as he went for second. The out ended the inning, but not before Boston drew even.

Balfour, Wheeler, and Howell combined to allow eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.

Upton's two-run homer just over the Green Monster in left-center gave Tampa the lead in the first, then Pena and Longoria went back-to-back for a 5-0 Rays lead in the third.

Longoria, who has gone deep a rookie-record six times in the playoffs, homered for the fourth straight game, an ALCS record.

Game Notes

Upton, who homered nine times in 531 at-bats in the regular season, has six home runs in 38 postseason at-bats...The Rays stole four bases, improving to 9-for-9 on stolen bases against the Red Sox in the series and 16-for-17 in the playoffs...Upton and Longoria extended their record for most homers by a pair of teammates under the age of 25, to 12. They are tied with Larry Walker and Albert Pujols of the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals for the second-most by two teammates in a single postseason. Barry Bonds and Rich Aurilia combined for 14 homers in 2002. Bonds holds the record for most homers in a single postseason, with eight in 2002.