CLEVELAND — In all his years as New York's catcher, Jorge Posada has made thousands of trips to the mound.

This was his first holding a can of bug repellant.

Posada's fogging of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was one of many bizarre sights during an AL playoff game against the Cleveland Indians that turned when millions of insects infested Jacobs Field.

"They just came out of nowhere," Posada said.

They helped beat the Yankees.

Tiny flying insects called "midges" bombarded the Bronx Bombers at the worst possible time, covering and rattling rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain, whose two wild pitches in the eighth inning sent the Indians to a 2-1 win in 11 innings.

"It's like somebody let them go," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Just when you think you've seen it all — that's home-field advantage."

Midges 1, Yankees 0.

Where was the Sultan of Swat when they needed him?

Travis Hafner hit a bases-loaded, RBI single with two outs in the 11th to score Kenny Lofton as the Indians, who trailed 1-0 before the flying pests invaded in the eighth inning, took a 2-0 series lead with a victory their fans will never forget.

BOSTON — Manny Ramirez sent one fan home with a baseball and the rest with a reminder of Boston's last World Series run.The MVP of the 2004 Series homered off Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth inning Friday night, and the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels o take a 2-0 lead in their AL playoff series."I am one of the best players in the game," said Ramirez, who missed almost all of September with a strained side muscle and finished with the worst full-season stats of his career. "I have confidence in myself, and I know my train doesn't stop here."Boston, which tied the game in the fifth thanks to a friendly — and legal — grab by the son of a Red Sox part-owner, has a chance to complete the sweep on Sunday in Anaheim when Curt Schilling faces Jered Weaver in Game 3."We've got the big daddy, Curt Schilling going," said Jonathan Papelbon, who got the last four outs for the win. "And I think anybody would love to have him going for us to seal the deal, and I know he'll be ready to go."