June 24, 2003 ... Together, Derek Lowe, and Kevin Millar, joined forces with the Hit Machine, Nomar Garciaparra, to lead the Red Sox in a good old-fashioned whupping of the lowly Detroit Tigers, 10-1, before 33,848 on an evening of balmy bliss at Fenway Park.

Garciaparra chipped in by going 5 for 5 and scoring three runs just three days after he matched a club record by going 6 for 6 against the Phillies. While Lowe smothered the anemic Detroit lineup, surrendering a lone run on seven hits and a pair of walks over eight innings to improve to 8-3, Millar powered the Sox by going 4 for 5 with a double and matching his career high by knocking in five runs.

All in all, it was a moveable feast for the Sox, as they devoured Detroit pitching to make their recent slump look like a stale appetizer. Every Sox starter reached base as they had 17 hits and seven walks. The 10 runs were their most since a 13-1 rout of the Cardinals June 11 at Fenway, where the Sox have rolled to a 24-11 record, second best in the American League. Better yet, the Sox caught the Blue Jays to share second place in the AL East, two games behind the Yankees.

Facing a Detroit starter, Nate Cornejo, who has struck out only 15 batters in 86 innings this season (the worst ratio among AL starters), the Sox were primed to make contact, and they did like crazy. They doubled, it seemed, almost at will, banging out six two- base hits to increase their season total to 201, tops in the majors.

Johnny Damon? He doubled to drive in two runs and extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Bill Mueller? He interrupted his .188 funk over the last 17 games with a run-scoring double. Manny Ramirez? He doubled in going 2 for 4, scoring three runs. David Ortiz? A double, sacrifice fly, and two runs. Jason Varitek? He doubled, knocked in a run, and scored one. No need to recount the 11 singles. By the time Hector Almonte inherited the nine-run lead in the ninth, the Tigers were toast.

Garciaparra set the table all night as he boosted his average this month to .430 and his average in the Fens this year to .417. Yes, he feels more comfortable than he did last year when he was still recovering from surgery on his right wrist in 2001.

The Tigers should have struck against Lowe when they had an early chance, before he found his groove. Lowe, who walked only 48 batters in 219 2/3 innings last year, already has walked 37 in 96 2/3 innings this year. And he gave the Tigers an opportunity in the first when ex-Sox farmhand Warren Morris walked and Bobby Higginson reached on an infield single. But Lowe stomped on the seeds of the rally by fanning Detroit's most dangerous hitter, Dmitri Young. He cruised from there, allowing only two harmless singles until the seventh, when the Tigers pushed across a run.

While Lowe cruised, the Sox pecked away at Tiger pitching, starting with Cornejo (six runs on 10 hits and three walks) and continuing with another former Boston farmhand, Wilfredo Ledezma (two runs on two hits and three walks). The Sox capped it by tagging Franklyn German for two more runs in the eighth.

Jerry Remy, the last Red Sox player to get six hits in a game (in 10 at-bats), shook his head when asked if, like Nomar Garciaparra, he'd gotten five hits a couple of nights later, too. A little perspective from the other side. The Red Sox shortstop has 11 hits in two games four days apart.  Garciaparra was singling five times through seven innings before being lifted for a pinch runner, Freddy Sanchez.

On April 26, following an 0-for-19 slump that was the longest of his career, Garciaparra was batting .248. Out of sight of the media, he spent hours studying video and tinkering with his swing. Since that day, he is batting .389 (84 for 216). He is batting .430 overall for the month of June, and .417 for the season in Fenway Park.

With their six doubles last night, the Sox increased their season total to 201, tops in the majors. They are on pace for 434, which would shatter the major league record of 373 shared by the 1997 Sox and 1930 Cardinals.

The Sox have five players hitting .300 or better in June: Nomar Garciaparra (.430), Millar (.369), Ortiz (.327), and Trot Nixon (.308)