CLEVELAND — He blocked out everything: the screaming crowd, Kenny Lofton's chirping, even his ex-girlfriend singing only a few feet away.

Josh Beckett, standing tall as ever on the mound, rose above it all — October's biggest star.

Beckett dominated the Cleveland Indians for the second time and Manny Ramirez drove in the go-ahead run with a 390-foot single as the Boston Red Sox stayed alive in the AL Championship Series with a 7-1 win last night in Game 5.

Back to Fenway Park they go. Just the Red Sox being the Red Sox. They have plenty of practice at these postseason comebacks.

"We weren't trying to win three games in one night," Kevin Youkilis said. "We were just going out there and fight and do whatever we had to do to win."

Youkilis set the tone with a first-inning homer off C.C. Sabathia as Boston shipped the best-of-seven series back to the heart of Red Sox Nation to continue a season nearly canned for the cold New England winter.

Clearly, Ramirez & Co. cared.

"We made it happen," Ramirez said.

In 2004, Boston rallied from an 3-0 deficit to win the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees and went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight for its first World Series title since 1918.

The Red Sox forced Game 6 for tomorrow night, and will turn to Curt Schilling, 9-3 in 17 career postseason starts, against Fausto Carmona.

Boston still trails 3-2, but if not for Beckett, the calm, cool and cocky 20-game winner, their would be no more baseball until spring.

"Josh is unbelievable," Youkilis said. "This year has been unbelievable for him and we hope he wins the Cy Young. He's shown here in the playoffs why he should."

The 27-year-old Beckett, who beat Cleveland in the opener, once again came through with the stakes at their highest.

The right-hander allowed only a run and three hits in the first, and only five total hits in eight innings. He struck out 11, walked one and was around the plate with almost every one of his 109 pitches.

"He's got something others don't have," third baseman Mike Lowell said. "There is a different feel for us when he takes the mound. Time and time again he comes through."

Beckett, who with each start carves his name deeper among the postseason pitching elite, is no stranger to comebacks.

In 2003, he pitched a two-hitter for Florida in Game 5 of the NLCS as the Marlins rallied from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Chicago Cubs. Then, pitching on just three days' rest in Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, he allowed five hits in a 2-0 win and was picked as MVP.

If the Red Sox can win two more, he might have another trophy for his mantle.

"We know what we have to do now," said Beckett, 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA this October. "This is not where we want to be, but obviously, we're inching closer to where we want to be."

The Indians missed a chance to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1997, and will have to find a way to avoid being the latest Cleveland team to come close but not win it all.

Cleveland, which hasn't won the Series since 1948, had won three straight to seemingly take control. But the Indians, trying to clinch a pennant at home for the first time, could do little against Beckett, who rarely shook off a sign from Varitek and kept hitters guessing with a rocket fastball and knee-buckling curve.

"He's the best," David Ortiz said. "We were confident with him going out there. He was unbelievable. It was one of the best pitching performances I've seen."

The Indians fell apart at the seams.

Even their rock-solid bullpen cracked for the first time. Boston added three runs in the eighth on three walks, a throwing error by reliever Rafael Perez, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly.

"Beating Boston four in a row is tough to do," Indians manager Eric Wedge said.

With so much on the line, both teams were on edge and tempers flared briefly in the fifth when Beckett and Lofton screamed at each other.

Cleveland's outfielder had flipped his bat to the ground after what he thought was ball four, and when Beckett retired him on a fly, the pair exchanged words and both benches and bullpens emptied.

The two got into a similar argument two years ago, when Lofton was with Philadelphia and Beckett with Florida.

"It goes back a way," Beckett said. "Those things have a way of working themselves out."

No punches were thrown, and if Lofton was trying to rattle Beckett, he didn't.

"He doesn't like it when I take my bat and flip it," Lofton said. "He's the only pitcher who's had a problem with it. He was saying stuff I didn't like, and I said something back."

Beckett then struck out Franklin Gutierrez looking before Casey Blake singled and went to third on Grady Sizemore's single. But Beckett fanned rookie Asdrubal Cabrera on three pitches.

For Sabathia, the Indians' ace and leader, it was more disappointment. He allowed four runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings, his third straight sub-par performance this month.