Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro stands at the plate as Boston's Mark Kotsay slides in to score on a single by Coco Crisp in the eighth inning. The Red Sox rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win Game 5 of the American League championship series, 8-7, Thursday in Boston.

Boston ? Down seven runs and running out of time, the Boston Red Sox weren’t quite ready to go away.

The defending World Series champions pulled off the biggest postseason comeback since 1929, beating the Rays 8-7 Thursday night on J.D. Drew’s two-out single in the ninth to stave off elimination in the best-of-seven AL championship series.

Fresh off the latest October rally by the comeback kings, Boston headed to Tampa Bay trailing three games to two.

“The first six innings we did nothing. They had their way with us every way possible,” Red Sox manager Terry 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.”

Boston trailed 7-0 with two outs in the seventh, then rallied when David Ortiz’s three-run homer followed Dustin Pedroia’s RBI single against Grant Balfour. Drew hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and Coco Crisp tied it with a two-out RBI single off Dan Wheeler.

“It was pretty much the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Crisp said, “to be down 7-0 in an elimination game and be able to come back.

Then in the ninth, Kevin Youkilis grounded to Evan Longoria with two outs, and wound up at second when the throw bounced in front of first baseman Carlos Pena. Jason Bay was intentionally walked and Drew lined a single to right off J.P. Howell over the outstretched glove of Gabe Gross to score the game-winner.