Ellsbury hit .333, with a .400 OBP and a .567 slugging percentage, and three stolen bases in the 2008 American League Division Series (ALDS), in which the Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 3–1, in the best-of-five series. In the second inning of Game 3 of the ALDS, he hit the first three-run single in postseason history when Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter let a pop-up fall to the ground between them. After going 0–for-14 in the first three games of the 2008 ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ellsbury was benched in favor of Crisp with only a pinch hitting at-bat in game 4. He did not play in the final three games of the series, and the Sox eventually lost the series 4–3.