Boston's Dustin Pedroia slides home to tie the game on a wild pitch as pitcher Dan Wheeler drops the throw back to the plate in the eighth.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — B.J. Upton and the Tampa Bay Rays won a game of home run derby with a shallow fly ball.

Pinch runner Fernando Perez dashed home on Upton's sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and the Rays outlasted the Boston Red Sox 9-8 Saturday night, evening the AL championship series at one game each.

The teams combined for seven home runs, tying a postseason record. But after 1:30 a.m., the Rays won a game that lasted 5 hours 27 minutes when Perez beat right fielder J.D. Drew's throw home.

The series shifts to Boston's Fenway Park for Game 3 Monday, with left-hander Jon Lester pitching for Boston against Matt Garza.

Dustin Pedroia homered twice for Boston, and scored on a wild pitch in the eighth that made it 8-all.

Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin walked Dioner Navarro and Ben Zobrist to begin the 11th and Jason Bartlett grounded out, moving runners to second and third. After Akinori Iwamura was intentionally walked to load the bases, Upton — who had homered earlier — followed with fly ball down the right field line.

Drew settled under the ball, but rushed and made an off-line throw that two-hopped home. Perez scored easily — he stole 43 bases in Triple-A this season, and went 5 for 5 on steal tries with Tampa Bay.

Rookie David Price earned the win. He entered with a runner on first and one out in the 11th and walked Drew, but struck out Mark Kotsay and retired Coco Crisp on a grounder.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, getting the defending World Series champion Red Sox to the 11th. He extended his career postseason scoreless streak to a major league-record 22 innings over 14 appearances.

Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Cliff Floyd homered for Tampa Bay. The Red Sox homered three times in the fifth inning, with Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis connecting off Kazmir and Jason Bay tagging Grant Balfour.

Down 8-6, the defending World Series champion Red Sox rallied within a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Bay.

Pedroia led off the eighth with a single against Chad Bradford and reliever Trever Miller walked David Ortiz.

Wheeler took over and got Youkilis to ground into a double play. With Bay at the plate, Wheeler threw a pitch over the glove of All-Star catcher Dioner Navarro that went to the backstop. Navarro played the carom, but made an off-target, underhand toss to Wheeler covering the plate that allowed Pedroia to score his fourth run of the game.

Boston threatened again in the ninth when Coco Crisp hit a two-out double that sailed over Upton's head in center field. Wheeler struck out Jacoby Ellsbury to end the inning, and pitched a perfect 10th.

After Beckett left, Red Sox relievers Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima kept the Red Sox in the game, combining for 3 2-3 scoreless innings. Justin Masterson began the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon finished it and worked the 10th.

Papelbon and the Red Sox got a scare in the 10th when Carl Crawford hit a line drive up the middle that struck Papelbon. It wasn't clear whether it struck his back or side or glove, and the ball deflected to Pedroia at second base for an out.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona ran out of the dugout to check on Papelbon, but the All-Star closer waved him off.

Boston was trying to extend its team record by winning its seventh straight postseason game on the road. The Rays had baseball's best home record this season.

Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, a Rays season ticket holder since the club's inaugural season in 1998, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Held hitless for six innings in the Game 1 loss, the Rays came out swinging — and connecting — against a postseason ace who has struggled this October.

Longoria hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Upton launched a solo shot in the third and Floyd homered in the fourth.

Beckett allowed eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Carlos Pena's RBI single and Longoria's run-scoring double finished the Boston starter, and Crawford hit an RBI single on Javier Lopez's first pitch for an 8-6 lead in the fifth.

Bay had a two-run double in the Boston first.