NEW YORK, United States (AFP) - Johnny Damon hit two mammoth home runs to right field and drove in six runs to give the Boston Red Sox a 10-3 win over the New York Yankees in game seven of the American League Championship Series.
Damon blasted a grand slam off the first pitch from Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez in the second inning to give Boston a 6-0 lead, then took Vazquez out to the upper deck in right field two innings later.
New York opened the series with three straight wins, including a 19-8 rout in game three at Boston's Fenway Park.
But after the Red Sox answered with three victories to become the first team in their situation to force a seventh game, Damon took centre stage.
After going just three-for-29 (.103) in the first six games, Damon led off this one with a single but was thrown out at the plate while attempting to score on Manny Ramirez's single.
But with the bases loaded in the second and Boston already holding a 2-0 lead, the wild-haired centre fielder belted hit the second grand slam in Red Sox playoff history.
Troy O'Leary recorded the club's first playoff grand slam in game five of the 1999 AL Division Series against Cleveland.
New York got on the board in the third on Derek Jeter's RBI single, but Damon continued to add to Boston's lead in the fourth to make it 8-1.
Damon's six RBIs set a single-game ALCS record and tied the all-time LCS mark set by Will Clark in 1989 and matched by Aramis Ramirez last season.
Pitching on a mere two days' rest, Lowe (2-0) was magnificent.
The righthander allowed just one run and one hit with a walk and three strikeouts, throwing 44 of 69 pitches for strikes.
Yankees starter Kevin Brown (1-1) lasted just 1 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs and four hits.
The veteran righthander, who fell to 0-5 in career postseason starts at home, walked two and struck out one.
The Yankees, American baseball's premier franchise, were seeking a record 40th AL pennant but instead earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first team to squander a three games to none playoff lead.
David Ortiz and Mark Bellhorn also homered for Boston, which opens the World Series at home on Saturday against the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals.