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Sunday, Jun. 3 1:05pm ET
Ramirez hits longest SkyDome homer; Sox sweep

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

TORONTO (AP) – Manny Ramirez decked the Blue Jays.


	Manny Ramirez's 491-foot homer reached the fifth deck in left field and was the longest in SkyDome history.

Ramirez hit the longest home run in SkyDome history to lead the Boston Red Sox to their fifth straight win, 5-4 over Toronto on Sunday.

"As soon as he hit it you knew it was upper deck, and you just wanted to enjoy it," Boston's Dante Bichette said.

Ramirez hit his 18th homer into the fifth deck in left field. The 491-foot shot landed on a tarp and bounced up toward a hotel room window that looks down on the stadium.

"That was awesome," Boston's Brian Daubach said. "I've never seen anything like that. That's a long way. It was on a curveball and it went that far."

Bichette followed with a homer off Toronto starter Chris Carpenter (5-3), tying the game at 2 in the fourth inning.

Ramirez tried to downplay the homer.

"It's just another home run," Ramirez said. "It only counts for one run so why go crazy about it?"

The Red Sox swept the four-game series and improved to 6-1 against Toronto.

"I saw Jose Conseco hit one up there, but that one was really up there," Toronto's Shannon Stewart said. "I saw that and said 'Wow."'

Hipolito Pichardo (1-0) pitched an inning for the win. Derek Lowe pitched the ninth for his sixth save, striking out Tony Batista with a runner on third to end it.

Stewart and Carlos Delgado homered for the Blue Jays, who have lost five straight.

"I'm frustrated and I'm sure everybody else is," Stewart said. "We have a good team, but things keep happening to us."

Boston's David Cone, making his fourth start of the season, allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two.

"It felt good to simply start a game that we won," Cone said. "I battled, and I got some breaks."

Stewart hit an RBI single in the fourth, and his fifth homer gave Toronto a 4-2 lead in the sixth.

Carpenter walked Brian Daubach leading off the seventh, and John Valentin singled before Scott Hatteberg singled to left field. Stewart tried to throw home, but the ball ticked off third baseman Batista's glove and entered the Red Sox dugout, allowing Daubach and Valentin to score on Stewart's error.

"I just missed the ball," Batista said.

Shea Hillenbrand followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Boston a 5-4 lead.

Carpenter gave up five runs – four earned – and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the bottom half, but pinch-hitter Darrin Fletcher grounded out to end the threat.

Game notes
Ramirez is the sixth player to homer into the fifth deck. Jose Canseco has done it three times. ... The previous record was 488 feet, set by Mark McGwire of the Oakland on July 25, 1996 off Huck Flener. ... Ramirez also homered off the facing of SkyDome's fourth deck in Saturday's 2-1 victory. ... Cone threw 94 pitches, 56 were strikes. ... Carpenter has given up back-to-back homers twice this season. He last did against Seattle on May 5. ... Attendance was 24,653. ... Delgado has 18 homers.