Ortiz Does His Job: Delivering in Pinch

David Ortiz knows how to take orders. Called on to pinch-hit with two out in the ninth inning of a tie game Saturday, Ortiz carried out Boston Manager Grady Little’s instructions to the letter.

“I wasn’t trying to do too much that at-bat. Grady told me to go and hit the Green Monster,” Ortiz said.

He did just that, sending Armando Benitez’s pitch off the wall in left-center at Fenway Park for an RBI single that gave the Red Sox a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees.

“I knew [Benitez] has a good fastball and I guess I was just looking for a fastball,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz, who didn’t start in part because he is hitless in 20 at-bats against Yankee starter Mike Mussina, spent part of the morning working with hitting coach Ron Jackson.

Home runs by Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez helped the Red Sox build a 4-0 lead against Mussina, who had won four straight decisions against Boston.

But the bullpen blew it, nearly wasting an outstanding start by John Burkett.

The Yankees tied the score against closer Byung-Hyun Kim on Karim Garcia’s pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth.

Benitez (0-1), acquired from the Mets on July 16, gave up a one-out single to Jeremy Giambi in the ninth. Giambi stole second -- his first career steal -- as Jason Varitek struck out. After Johnny Damon was intentionally walked, Ortiz came through.

With the victory, the Red Sox reduced New York’s lead in the East to 2 1/2 games.