THE UNLIKELIEST OF HEROES
Aaron Boone's dramatic 11th inning home run sends
Yanks to the 100th Fall Classic

I don't know about you of all, but I am emotionally drained. This has been as dramatic an American League Championship series as I have ever witnessed. I had so many emotions. I went from confident to frustration to happy to mad to prayerful to sad. I ran the emotional range of feelings. But the one thing I couldn't do is stop watching the game. In the end I held onto my belief that the "curse" was as real as the house I live in. Along the way two titans went hammer and tong for the right to advance to the 100th annual World Series. This is what these two teams played for. The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees locked in mortal combat in the 7th game of the ALCS. It's what the baseball gods and Babe Ruth wanted.

The New York Yankees are the champions of the American League. With their dramatic 11th innning win the Yankees earned their ticket to the 39th World Series in their glorious history. It all came to fruition from the unlikeliest of heroes. More on that later. The Yankees, who were reeling from their Game 6 loss to the Boston Red Sox, were fighting history, the baseball gods and themselves in a classic battle of two fierce rivals.

The game started with all the emotion carried over from Game 3. Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Don Zimmer and Karim Garcia were all in attendance. Everyone knows what happened in Game 3. The throw at the head, the brawl, the throw down, the hatred and rivalry. It was all in the backs of the minds of the players and fans of both teams.

As sharp as Roger Clemens was in Game 3 he was not in Game 7. Pedro Martinez, who was shaky in Game 3 was brilliant for the first 7 innings. It was the Rocket, who had played for 13 years in Boston, who was standing between his former team and their first World Series since 1986. Roger had an easy first inning, but in the second he fell vulnerable to the Red Sox' vaunted offense. Boston scored three runs off the Rocket. The big blow came from Trot Nixon who sent a 2-0 fastball over the left field wall, which gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. The Sox added a run before the end of the inning. In the fourth inning Roger got in trouble again as he gave up a lead off home run to Kevn Millar. After a walk to Trot Nixon and a single to Bill Mueller the Rocket's day was done.

Mike Mussina came in and did an excellent job of damage control. He got out of the 4th inning without giving up another run and pitched a scoreless 5th and 6th innings. Jason Giambi, the silent slugger of the ALCS, connected for the second of his two solo home runs to get the Yankees to within a 4-2 deficit. Felix Heredia and Jeff Nelson combined for a scoreless 7th inning to keep the Bombers close. In the 8th inning David Wells took the mound and in one pitch to David Ortiz the Red Sox erased Giambi's home run and expanded their lead to 5-2. It was looking pretty bleak for the team playing in the "House That Ruth Built".

The Yankees had just six outs left to stem the tide. The Yankees, who hadn't lost a Game 6 and 7 at home since 1926, had their work cut out for them. The bottom of the 8th inning didn't start out well as Nick Johnson (0-4) popped out to Normar Garciaparra. Derek Jeter then doubled to deep right field and Bernie Williams followed with a single to center, scoring Jeter. It was now 5-3. Here's where the Red Sox made their first fatal mistake. Manager Grady Little visited the mound and asked his starter if he wanted to come out. Martnez, who had thrown approximately 115 pitches at that point, said "no." Little left him in. The Red Sox pulled their infield in to hopefully keep a run from scoring. (sound like 2001 to you?) Hideki Matsui then hit a ground rule double, as his ball was touched by a fan along the right field foul line. Bernie had to stop at 3rd base and Matsui stopped at second. Alan Embree replaced Martinez. He faced Jason Giambi, who filed out to center. Embree was replaced by Mike Timlin. Timlin promptly walked Ruben Sierra on an intentional base on balls, which loaded the bases.

With Yankees fans around the Stadium praying and millions more crossing their fingers, like me while watching their TV's, Jorge Posada came to the plate. With the bases now loaded and the Red Sox infield pulled in Posada flared a ball into shallow centerfield that dropped for a double. Both Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui scored on the play. The first of Yankees' fans prayers were answered. Pedro Martinez would not leave the Bronx as a winner. Unfortunately, Alfonso Soriano, who had struck out ehe preivous four at bats, grounded out to end the 8th inning.

Like two classic heavyweights, Boston and New York battled through the 9th and 10th innings. Mariano Rivera, the Yankees' supreme closer, entered the game in the 9th inning and pitched three scoreless innings. The Red Sox countered with their series MVP Tim Wakefield ( Game 1 and Game 4 winner). Wakefield started the 10th inning and kept the Bombers off the scoreboard. After Rivera kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the top of the 11th inning the baseball gods and the Curse of the Bambino brought Game 7 to a dramatic finish.

Tim Wakefield took the mound and faced Aaron Boone. It was Boone upon whom the baseball gods and the Babe decided to smile upon. Aaron had only batted .125 in the previous six games. He had no home runs and one RBI in 16 at bats. Wakefield looked in at Doug Mirabelli as if getting a sign, but everyone in the civilized world knew what was coming. A knuckleball. As the ball moved toward the plate Boone homed in on the ball and swung. The ball left his bat and sailed toward the left field corner wall. As left fielder Manny Ramirez helplessly looked up Boone's ball landed about 10 rows into the seats. The improbable had happened. As Wakefield walked off the mound with his head down the Yankees and their fans realized that Aaron Boone had just propelled them into the 100th annual fall classic. The least likely player suddenly became the series biggest hero. In one swing Aaron Boone erased a series of frustration and forever became part of New York Yankees Lore.

I hope the Florida Marlins were watching and paying attention. I hope they saw, first-hand, what was in store for them.
They get the New York Yankees. Along with the team they get their history, their glory and their ghosts. See you Saturday Fish. Get ready to be hooked, gutted and flayed.

PLAY BALL!



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