It's been an incredibly long and incredibly frustrating year for Mike Lowell. What he did on Tuesday night, however, likely took off some of the sting.
With Kevin Youkilis getting placed on the disabled list earlier in the day, the Sox activated Lowell and penciled him into the starting lineup, playing first base and batting sixth.
As he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second inning, the sellout crowd at Fenway Park rose to its feet, giving the veteran a well-deserved standing ovation. They hadn't yet sat down when Lowell blasted the first pitch he saw over the Green Monster, sending the fans and his teammates into a frenzy.
The pitch from David Huff was a 91-mph fastball over the heart of the plate, and Lowell made him pay.
It was Lowell's first at-bat since he pinch hit in Colorado on June 22. He was hot, though, on a rehab stint in Triple-A Pawtucket, batting .500 with four homers in five games.
Tuesday's homer was just Lowell's third of the season in the majors, as he's been limited to just 32 games.
