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| New York Battles Boston in the American League Championship Series |
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The Yankees and Red Sox meet for the 20th time this season. This time around, however, the consequences are much greater as the winner will advance to the World Series. The Red Sox have won 11 of the 19 meetings this season and are hoping that this year’s ALCS is quite different from last year’s. In the 2003 ALCS, the Yankees defeated the Red Sox after an 11th inning home run by Aaron Boone in Game 7.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the Yankees claimed their 7th consecutive American League Division title as the Boston Red Sox settled for the AL Wildcard—three games behind the Yankees. In the American League Division Series, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in four games while the Red Sox swept the Anaheim Angels in their best-of-five series.
After last year’s loss to the Florida Marlins in the World Series, the Yanks hope to return to the Fall Classic for a chance to win their 27th World Championship. The Red Sox hope to end their 86-year drought without a Championship. The rosters from last year’s classic series have changed considerably as the Yankees acquired shortstop Alex Rodriguez and lost aces Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte while the Red Sox added All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling. The rivalry, however, remains as intense as ever as the Red Sox try to end the curse of the Bambino.
Yankees'
Featured Player
In this year’s playoff meeting between the two teams, Aaron Boone is no longer a threat to the Red Sox. However, his replacement and former MVP Alex Rodriguez, who was nearly traded to the Red Sox, is now wearing pinstripes. A-Rod was instrumental in the Yankees ALDS win over the Twins where he batted .421 with a .737 slugging percentage. A-Rod’s fielding and hitting talent should create problems for the Red Sox.
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Red Sox Featured Player
The Yankees are all too familiar with Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling who, in 2001, was the starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they defeated the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series. Schilling, now with the Red Sox, will face the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS. Schilling held an impressive 21-6 record and a 3.26 ERA this season and is 2-0 against the Yankees this season.
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REGULAR
SEASON
TEAM STATS |
| YANKEES |
vs. |
Red Sox |
| .268 |
BA |
.282 |
| 897 |
R |
949 |
| 1483 |
H |
1613 |
| 242 |
HR |
222 |
| 863 |
RBI |
912 |
| .458 |
SLG |
.472 |
| Pitching
Statistics |
| 4.69 |
ERA |
4.18 |
| 59 |
Saves |
36 |
| 1058 |
K |
1132 |
| THE 2004 ALCS vs. BOSTON RED SOX |
| Game |
Team |
Score |
Pitcher |
| Game 1 - HOME |
Yankees |
10 |
Mike Mussina (12-9, 4.59 ERA) |
| Tues. 10/12-8:15pm |
Red Sox |
7 |
Curt Shilling (21-6, 3.26 ERA) |
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| Game 2 - HOME |
Yankees |
3 |
Jon Lieber (14-8, 4.33 ERA) |
| Wed. 10/13-8:15pm |
Red Sox |
1 |
Pedro Martinez (16-9, 3.90 ERA) |
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| Game 3 - AWAY |
Yankees |
19 |
Kevin Brown (10-6, 4.09 ERA) |
| Sat. 10/16-8:15pm |
Red Sox |
8 |
Bronson Arroyo (10-9, 4.03 ERA) |
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| Game 4 - AWAY |
Yankees |
4 |
Orlando Hernandez (8-2, 3.30 ERA) |
| Sun. 10/17-8:00pm |
Red Sox |
6 |
Derek Lowe (14-12, 5.42 ERA) |
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| Game 5 - AWAY |
Yankees |
4 |
Mike Mussina (12-9, 4.59 ERA) |
| Mon. 10/18-5:00pm |
Red Sox |
5 |
Pedro Martinez (16-9, 3.90 ERA) |
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| Game 6 - HOME |
Yankees |
2 |
Jon Lieber (14-8, 4.33 ERA) |
| Tues. 10/19-8:00pm |
Red Sox |
4 |
Curt Shilling (21-6, 3.26 ERA) |
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| Game 7 - HOME |
Yankees |
3 |
Kevin Brown (10-6, 4.09 ERA) |
| Tues. 10/20-8:00pm |
Red Sox |
10 |
Derek Lowe (14-12, 5.42 ERA) |
Game 1 - Mussina: Almost Perfect, Schilling: Not So Perfect
On Tuesday, October 12th, Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina began Game One of the ALCS in stellar fashion as he pitched six perfect innings, which consisted of no walks, no hits and eight strikeouts in the 10-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The opposing pitcher, Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, was not so lucky as he struggled through three innings with a tender ankle and allowed six runs on six hits while also walking two batters. Despite Mussina’s dominant pitching performance through the fist six innings, the Yankees had to battle to secure the 10-7 victory in Game One because of a five-run offensive explosion in seventh inning, which was sparked by a Mark Bellhorn double which erased Mussina’s perfect game and no-hitter chances. By the time Mussina was lifted, he had given up four runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. The Red Sox were able to bring the score within one run (8-7), but Bernie Williams two-run double, along with the dominant pitching of Mariano Rivera, was enough secure the first game in the best-of-seven series.
Both Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui earned “Star of the Game” honors as Sheffield went 3-for-4 with a walk and four runs scored. Matsui, who could be in the running for ALCS MVP after last night’s performance, batted 3-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBI.
Game Two will be played on Wednesday, October 13th in Yankee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 8:19 p.m. where Yankee pitcher Jon Lieber will face Boston’s other ace of their staff, Pedro Martinez.
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Game 2 - Yanks Take Two
October 13th brought the New York Yankees one game closer to the World Series with a win over the Boston Red Sox with a final score of 3-1 in Game Two of the American League Championship Series. During this game, these two offensive powerhouses combined to leave thirty-one runners stranded on base, as the Yankees accounted for twenty-two of those runners.
Yankee starter Jon Lieber pitched seven outstanding innings allowing only one run on three hits. Despite a compelling pitching performance from Boston starter Pedro Martinez, who allowed only three runs on four hits while registering seven strikeouts over six innings, the Red Sox offense was unable to provide any run support for his efforts. Yankee first baseman John Olerud slammed the only home run of the game when he hit a two-run shot into the right field seats in the sixth inning. The Red Sox only run came off of shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s RBI ground out—scoring Trot Nixon.
Game Three will commence on Friday, October 15th at 8:15 p.m. in Boston when the Red Sox send pitcher Bronson Arroyo to the mound to face Yankee starter Kevin Brown.
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Game 3 - Record-Setting Night at Fenway Park in Boston
Game Three of the ALCS was played on Saturday, October 16th, after a rainout on Friday night. Game Four and Game Five will now be played Sunday and Monday respectively at Boston’s Fenway Park. Tonight was a night for broken records as the game lasted longer than any nine-inning postseason game in history (four hours and twenty minutes)—surpassing the previous record by six minutes. When the smoke cleared, the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox by a score of 19-8 to extend their series lead to 3-0.
The winning pitcher for the Yankees was Javier Vasquez, who relieved Kevin Brown after Brown lasted only two innings before allowing four runs on five hits. Vasquez pitched just over four innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Bronson Arroyo, starting pitcher for the Red Sox, also lasted two innings while allowing six runs on six hits. The losing pitcher of record for the Red Sox was former Yankee Ramiro Mendoza, who allowed one run on one hit in only one inning.
After three innings, the game was tied at 6-6, but much scoring was still to come. Yankee right fielder Gary Sheffield hit a home run in the fourth inning and a double in the fifth inning to account for four Yankee runs. Yankee Ruben Sierra also added to the offensive assault by tripling in the fourth inning to score two runs and make the score 11-6. The remainder of the game was a show put on by Yankee Hideki Matsui who singled in the seventh inning and homered in the ninth inning to drive in three runs. Alex Rodriguez also provided offense with a home run and two doubles of his own. For Boston, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek each hit a home run to score two runs each.
Game Four will commence Sunday evening, October 17th at 8 p.m. Scheduled starters were changed due to the length and scoring of Game Three—New York Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez will face Boston Red Sox starter Derek Lowe.
| Postseason Records Set or Tied in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series |
| Team Records |
Championship Series Team Records |
| Set |
Set |
| - Longest nine-inning: Game 4 hours, 20 minutes |
- Most runs in a game: 19 (New York) |
| - Most hits in a game, both teams: 37 |
- Most runs in a game, both teams: 27 |
| - Most extra-base hits in a game, both teams: 20 |
- Most extra-base hits in a game: 13 (New York) |
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- Most doubles in a game, both teams: 13 |
| Tied |
Tied |
| - Most doubles in a game: 8 |
- Most hits in a game: 22 (New York) |
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- Most home runs in a game: 4 (New York) |
| Individual Records |
Championship Series Individual Records |
| Tied |
Set |
| - Most hits in a game: 5 (Hideki Matsui, NY) |
- Most career hits: 47 (Bernie Williams, NY) |
| - Most runs scored in a game: 5 (Hideki Matsui, NY) |
- Most career runs batted in: 29 (Bernie Williams, NY) |
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Tied |
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Most at-bats in a nine-inning game: 6 (Williams, Matsui, Ruben Sierra, NY) |
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Game 4 - Ortiz Extends Red Sox Season
On Sunday, October 17th, Game Four of the American League Championship Series got underway at approximately 8 p.m. and concluded five hours and two minutes later in the twelfth inning when Red Sox slugger David Ortiz launched a game-winning home run to secure a 6-4 victory.
Yankee pitcher Orlando Hernandez lasted five innings and allowed three runs on three hits with six strikeouts to earn a no decision. Red Sox starter Derek Lowe lasted 5 1/3 innings and also allowed three runs on three hits after learning the both he and his opposing pitcher would be penciled in to the lineup because of the abnormally long game the previous night.
After being down by a score of 2-0, the Red Sox rallied to take the lead (3-2). In the sixth inning, the Yankees struck back after Yankee outfielder Bernie Williams singled to tie the score at 3-3. First baseman Tony Clark also singled during the inning to give the Yankees back the lead (4-3). Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller singled off of Yankee closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth to tie the game at 4-4 and give Rivera his first blown postseason save of his career against the Red Sox. The game remained tied for three more innings until Yankee reliever Paul Quantrill served up the Ortiz blast to end the game with a score of 6-4.
Boston tries to keep their hopes alive in Game Five of the ALCS, as they are down three games to one in the best-of-seven series. Game Five is scheduled for Monday, October 18th at 5:10 p.m. Starting pitchers will be Mike Mussina for the Yankees against Pedro Martinez for the Red Sox.
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Game 5 - Boston Repeats in Game Five
On October 18th, Game Five seemed like an instant replay of Game Four as Red Sox slugger David Ortiz saved the day again by forcing a Game Six in the ALCS. This time, Ortiz’s big hit came in the form of a game-winning RBI single five hours and 49 minutes after the first pitch of the night.
The Red Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after their first at bat with runs from Orlando Cabrera and Ortiz, but the Yankees’ Bernie Williams responded in the second inning with a solo home run that cut the Red Sox’s lead to one. In the sixth inning, the Yankees took a 4-2 lead off of runs scored by Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, and Miguel Cairo. The Yankees held the lead until the eighth inning until the Red Sox tied it up with runs from Ortiz and Dave Roberts. The score remained tied until Ortiz’s game-winner in the 14th inning. Each team went through seven pitchers, an LCS record, while Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera blew another save for the second consecutive game (a first in his postseason career).
This game surpassed Game Four’s record of five hours and two minutes as the longest postseason game ever played by 47 minutes. The Red Sox hope to continue to make history by becoming the first team ever to come back from a 3-0 deficit and force a Game Seven in the playoffs. The series returns to Yankee Stadium for Game Six, which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19th at 8:19 p.m. Yankee starter Jon Lieber, who is 12-3 in his 17 starts at Yankee Stadium this season, will be on the mound to face Red Sox ace Curt Schilling. Schilling is expected to start provided that Red Sox doctors deem his ankle healthy. If he’s able to pitch, he will try to rebound from his Game One performance where he recorded his first loss since August 9th.
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Game 6 - Boston Forces Game 7
On October 19th, the Boston Red Sox evened the American League Championship Series by defeating the New York Yankees in a thrilling 4-2 game. Curt Schilling pitched an outstanding game through seven innings allowing only one run and striking out four for the Red Sox. Although Yankees starting pitcher Jon Lieber has had an impressive postseason, he allowed four runs on nine hits and received very little run support while he was on the mound.
All of Boston’s scoring came during a huge fourth inning when Jason Varitek hit an RBI single followed by a Mark Bellhorn three-run homer to make the score 4-0. The only run that Schilling allowed was a home run to the postseason record holder, Bernie Williams (22), in the seventh inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, following a Miguel Cairo double and Derek Jeter RBI single off of reliever Bronson Arroyo to narrow the Red Sox lead (4-2), Alex Rodriguez tapped a ground ball between the mound and first. After Arroyo fielded the ball and ran towards Rodriguez to make the tag, A-Rod slapped the ball out of Arroyo’s glove. With the ball rolling down the first base line, Jeter managed to come all the way around to score. After Boston manager Terry Francona protested the play, the umpires conferred and decided that Rodriguez was out for interference and sent Jeter back to first. After the Red Sox brought in closer Keith Foulke in the ninth inning to close out the game by a score of 4-2, the Red Sox became the first team in history to erase a 3-0 deficit and forced a Game Seven. With the series tied 3-3, the seventh and deciding game will take place at Yankee Stadium on October 20th at 8:19 p.m. as Yankee starter Kevin Brown will face Boston starter Derek Lowe in a game that will surely be one for the ages.
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Game 7 - Yanks Fall to Boston in Game Seven
The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees by a score of 10-3 on Wednesday, October 20th, to complete a historic comeback victory over their archrivals by four games to three in the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox victory sets up a World Series showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals after becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to overcome a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
Johnny Damon, who had been slumping for the majority of the series, stroked two homers and drove in six runs for Boston, giving them a 6-0 lead after two innings before cruising to victory. Boston starter Derek Lowe pitched six innings and allowed one run on one hit, as the Red Sox capitalized on four home runs to score nine of their 10 runs. Lowe struck out three batters and walked only one during his stint on the mound.
Yankee starter Kevin Brown struggled, as David Ortiz clubbed a two-run homer in the first to open the offensive attack. Brown was replaced in the second after loading the bases for reliever Javier Vasquez, who was greeted by a Johnny Damon grand slam into the right field seats for a 6-0 lead. Derek Jeter tried to get the Yankee faithful going with an RBI single in the third inning, but the effort was quickly thwarted as Damon belted two-run homer in the fourth to stretch Boston's advantage to seven runs (8-1). Damon had three hits for the Red Sox, which matched his output for the first six games of the series.
With an 8-1 lead, Boston manager Terry Francona relieved Lowe despite a pitch count of only 69 pitches. Pedro Martinez relieved him and surrendered an RBI double to Bernie Williams as well as a run-scoring single to Kenny Lofton to narrow the margin to five (8-3). In the top of the eighth inning, Boston responded to the Yankee effort with a Mark Bellhorn home run off of Yankee reliever Tom Gordon to expand the lead to six (9-3). Boston shortstop Orlando Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the ninth inning accounted for Boston's final run.
Twenty-five teams had previously been three games down in a playoff series and none had ever even forced a seventh and deciding contest. The Red Sox not only forced a Game Seven, they emerged victorious and will head to the World Series for the first time since 1986 when they were defeated by the New York Mets.
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Last Updated On:
Friday, October 22, 2004 GO YANKS!! | |
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