Aaron Boone hit a leadoff home run in the 11th inning Thursday to give the New York Yankees a 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox and a trip to the World Series.
Boone homered on the first pitch from knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who had two wins in the series and was making his first relief appearance, as the Yankees claimed their 39th American League pennant.
New York trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning and 5-2 in the eighth as Roger Clemens made an early exit in what looked to be the final game of his storied career.
PHOTO: AFP
But the Yankees bounced back, rekindling painful memories that have haunted so many Red Sox fans -- thoughts of Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner and decades of New York domination.
This was the fifth pennant in six seasons for the Yankees, who haven't won the World Series since 2000, and the 26th time they played these old foes -- a baseball first.
Mariano Rivera didn't allow a run in his first three-inning appearance since Sept. 6, 1996, to cap a triumphant night for a New York bullpen that had failed so often. This time, it allowed just one run in eight innings, and Rivera walked off with the most valuable player award.
Wakefield, who relieved to start the 10th, had baffled New York with his knuckleball in Games 1 and 4, and started with a scoreless inning.
Boone, acquired from Cincinnati on July 31, then homered into the left-field seats, setting the old ballpark shaking. There wasn't a doubt from the moment it left his bat.
It was the first pennant-winning, extra-inning homer for the Yankees since Chris Chambliss' ninth-inning shot against Kansas City in 1976.
Rivera went right to the mound, dropping to the ground and pounding the pitching rubber with his right hand. He seemed to be sobbing by the time coach Wille Randolph got to him and hugged him.
The Yankees waited for Boone at home plate, hopping with excitement, and mobbed him when he arrived.
"Wow. I can't even talk," Boone said. "It's unbelievable. This is awesome. Like Derek told me, `The ghosts will show up eventually.'"
Rivera had probably pitched his final inning. Jose Contreras, who wasted a two-run lead in Game 6, was starting to warm up in New York's bullpen. Rivera had thrown 48 pitches.
"I see those guys coming back, coming back, coming back, and I think `I've got to hold this,'" he said.
Trot Nixon's two-run homer in a three-run second inning and Kevin Millar's solo shot in the fourth chased Clemens, who walked off slowly in what then appeared to be the final appearance of his storied career.
Jason Giambi, dropped to seventh in the batting order for the first time since July 1999, started the comeback with solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings.
A parade of New York relievers -- including Mike Mussina in the first relief appearance of his major league career -- held Boston scoreless until David Ortiz made it 5-2 with a homer in the eighth on David Wells' first pitch of the game.
Derek Jeter then sparked the eighth with a one-out double over Nixon in right, and Bernie Williams singled him home. Hideki Matsui followed with a double down the right-field line -- on an 0-2 pitch -- that put runners on second and third, and Posada looped a hit to center that scored both runners, with Matsui slapping the plate as he slid in and his teammates coming out of the dugout. Posada wound up on second base as no one covered the bag.
Martinez, who had thrown 123 pitches, was removed in favor of left-hander Alan Embree, who retired Giambi on a flyout. Mike Timlin came in and intentionally walked pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra and Karim Garcia unintentionally, loading the bases for Alfonso Soriano.
He hit a ball off the mound and it bounced to second baseman Todd Walker, who raised his glove, grabbed it and threw to second for the forceout.
Ever since the Boston sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920, New York had ruled, winning 26 World Series championships while the Red Sox won none, a team supposedly cursed for selling the sport's biggest star.
The teams had battled on and off the field since December, when New York beat out the Red Sox to sign Contreras, prompting Boston president Larry Lucchino to call the Yankees the "Evil Empire."
For much of the night, it seemed this would be the night Boston would win a title in New York for the first time in 99 years -- since a 3-2 victory at Hilltop Park on the final day of the season.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS