Sure, October is over, but we still have 3 more parts to do. Better late than never; part 3.
2003 ALCS – New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
Series MVP: Mariano Rivera
Game 1 Red Sox 5, Yankees 2
WP – Tim Wakefield, LP – Mike Mussina, Sv – Scott Williamson
Game 2 Yankees 6, Red Sox 2
WP – Andy Pettitte, LP – Derek Lowe
Game 3 Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
WP – Roger Clemens, LP – Pedro Martinez, Sv – Mariano Rivera
Game 4 Red Sox 3, Yankees 2
WP – Tim Wakefield, LP – Mike Mussina, Sv – Scott Williamson
Game 5 Yankees 4, Red Sox 2
WP – David Wells, LP – Derek Lowe, Sv – Mariano Rivera
Game 6 Red Sox 9, Yankees 6
WP – Alan Embree, LP – Jose Contreras, Sv – Scott Williamson
Game 7 Yankees 6, Red Sox 5 (11 Innings)
WP – Mariano Rivera, LP – Tim Wakefield
Aaron: For most of these series, I’m firmly in the camp of those who remember the iconic moment, but not much else. I remember Game #7 like it was yesterday. I was pounding out my weekly Bootleg music column and on IM with m’man Nick (a hardcore Yankees fan) while watching the game. I even used much of our IM exchange in my piece when it was posted. The seismic shifts from positive to negative and back again would’ve induced an ulcer or two if it were my team involved. Just a heavyweight fight in the truest sense and the apex of the Boston/New York rivalry before it became the overexposed caricature it is today.
Eugene: I’m in the same boat with this series. I only remember Boone’s home run; it was a nice moment from a guy that had always been overshadowed by his big brother. Now, Aaron his this for his legacy and Bret has questions about his career (aka was he on steroids).
Chad: Yeah Boone’s homerun was the big moment of the series, but it wasn’t the entire series. This series was the one that really got the ball rolling behind the Red Sox and threw them into over-crowded bandwagon mode. They rode the moment from this series all the way to the World Series the next year.