updated 6:57 p.m. ET July 31, 2005

BOSTON - Two games after Manny Ramirez was booed by the hometown fans, all was forgiven.

Ramirez earned a loud standing ovation before and after his pinch-hit single in the eighth inning Sunday lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

After the game, the enigmatic outfielder shrugged off the trade talk that kept him on the bench for most of two days leading up to Sunday’s trade deadline.

“Forget about the trade. This is the place I want to be,” Ramirez said. “They want to win. I want to win, too. I’m back.”

Entering the game 54 minutes after the 4 p.m. deadline passed for trades without waivers, Ramirez bounced a chopper up the middle to score Edgar Renteria and give the Red Sox their fifth consecutive victory. After Renteria crossed the plate, Ramirez took off his batting helmet and pointed both hands at the crowd in a double-barreled salute.

“That’s hard not to get chills when that stuff is happening,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “That’s about as electric as you’ll see it.”

Mike Timlin (4-1) allowed two hits and an intentional walk in 1 1-3 innings, striking out one. Curt Schilling pitched the ninth for his fifth save, kicking off another “Manny!” chant.

Juan Rincon (4-4) allowed one run on two hits and a walk.

Although he is one of the most productive batters in baseball history, Ramirez has been on the trading block every year as the Red Sox try to unload the remainder of his $160 million, eight-year contract. As the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox discussed a three-team trade with Tampa Bay that would have sent him to the New York Mets, and Francona offered Ramirez the weekend off to clear his head.

But Ramirez told reporters before the game that he wanted to stay. And, when Renteria doubled off the Green Monster with two outs in the eighth, the Twins opted to intentionally walk David Ortiz to face Adam Stern. Before the four pitches could be thrown, the crowd began chanting for Ramirez.

On ball three, Ramirez popped out of the dugout for the on-deck circle, and the sellout crowd rose to its feet. For some fans, it was the first knowledge they had that he wasn’t traded.

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The announcement that he would pinch hit could barely be heard, and when Ramirez singled to put Boston ahead 4-3, the noise in the ballpark got even louder.

John Olerud’s hamstring injury paved the way for Ramirez’s dramatic entrance. Olerud, who was batting in Ramirez’s customary cleanup slot, left the game in the seventh inning when he “tweaked” a hamstring on the basepaths, according Francona.

When the Twins walked Ortiz, “it was the perfect spot” for Ramirez to enter the game, Francona said.

“Obviously, he was ready to go,” Francona said.

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