| | BOSTON -- They don't just go quietly. That's not the Boston
Red Sox way.
They can't just lose. They must tantalize.
|  | | Jason Varitek packs up as Boston's season comes to an end. |
It would be easier to take if they were pathetic. Instead, they
are cruel.
Ruthless, even.
Despite an eighth-inning rally that provided one last tease in a
season filled with flirtation, the New York Yankees beat Boston 6-1
Monday night to win the first postseason pairing of the
longtime rivals.
"Right now," Boston catcher Jason Varitek said, "it would
hurt if it was the Bad News Bears."
The Red Sox gave New England Pedro Martinez and Nomar
Garciaparra, 94 wins in the regular season and an exhilarating
first-round victory over Cleveland that set up a dream matchup with
the hated Yankees.
And, after falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 American League
Championship Series and spotting New York a four-run lead in what
would be their final game, the Red Sox mounted one last rally to
torture their long-suffering fans.
Loading the bases after Jason Varitek's leadoff home run in the
eighth inning cut the deficit to 4-1, the Red Sox brought the
chilly Fenway Park crowd to its feet. But Ramiro Mendoza struck out
pinch-hitter Scott Hatteberg on a 3-2 pitch and got Trot Nixon to pop up, then
pitched a perfect ninth to bring Boston's surprising season to an
unsurprising end.
"I told these kids in there that I was really proud of them,
the way they performed all year long. I think they really did a lot
for this city," Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said.
"Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us. So I tip my cap to the
Yankees."
Boston hasn't won the World Series since selling Babe Ruth to
New York in 1920. Since then, the Yankee have won 36 AL pennants
and 24 World Series championships, with a chance at their 25th.
It has been so long since since the Red Sox won the World Series
that Ruth's 82-year-old daughter, who threw out the first pitch
Monday night, was a 1 year-old when her father pitched his first
team to the title.
Julia Ruth Stevens came in from Arizona on a chilly night and
proclaimed herself a Red Sox fan. She said she didn't believe her
father has put a curse on baseball's unluckiest franchise, but she
did notice the coincidence.
It would be impossible not to.
In 1946, it was Johnny Pesky allegedly holding the ball as St.
Louis' Enos Slaughter raced around the bases to score the winning
run. In '78, it was Bucky Dent's pop fly that reached the screen
above the Green Monster and gave the Yankees the AL East title.
And then there was the slow roller that went through Bill
Buckner's high-topped ankles in 1986 to help New York's Mets
emotionally clinch a title they wouldn't actually win until two
days later.
This time, the only bad luck was running into the Yankees.
In a series bound to inflame baseball's fiercest rivalry well
into the next century, the deeper defending champions merely needed
to wait for the days Martinez couldn't pitch and take advantage of
some sloppy Red Sox fielding -- and, yes, an umpire's call or three.
Derek Lowe could only relieve so much, Jose Offerman could only
bat so many times and Garciaparra's fielding failed at the most
inopportune time for the Red Sox.
And so, despite a surprising 94-win season and a first-round
victory over Cleveland, Boston heads into the winter the way it has
every year since the Babe bounced his baby daughter on his knee:
Saying "Wait 'till next year."
| |
ALSO SEE
Yankees vs. Red Sox series page
El Duque closes out Red Sox in 6-1 victory
Red Sox flop in the field
El Duque not intimidated against Red Sox
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