Posted on 10/20/2004 1:00:49 PM PDT by demlosers
NEW YORK (AP) -- One chance left. Otherwise, infamy.
On the brink of the biggest collapse in postseason history, the New York Yankees have one opportunity remaining to pull themselves together and finally finish off Boston.
If not, this storied team with 26 World Series titles also will be remembered for the biggest October choke ever.
Against its bitter rival, no less.
Talk about a painful winter of wondering what if. Talk about an angry George Steinbrenner.
Time to panic in pinstripe city.
``If you've got nerves, you shouldn't be there,'' star closer Mariano Rivera said.
Curt Schilling shut down the Yankees on a gimpy right ankle Tuesday night, and the Red Sox saved their season for the third day in a row with a 4-2 victory in Game 6 of the AL championship series.
Boston became the first team in baseball history to pull even after trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. Only twice in North American major professional sports has a club come back to win such a series after dropping the first three games, both times in hockey: the New York Islanders against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals of the 1975 NHL playoffs and the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Stanley Cup final.
The Yankees desperately don't want to be added to the wrong side of that short list.
``We can't worry about history here,'' Alex Rodriguez said. ``If we win tomorrow, it won't be embarrassing.''
Rivera should be fresh for Game 7 because he didn't pitch Tuesday night. The problem for New York is not the end of the game, the question is who to start Wednesday night. Even after Game 6, manager Joe Torre said he hadn't decided yet.
Hey, it's only the whole season on the line.
Kevin Brown seems the likely choice, mostly because there are few other options. The 39-year-old right-hander would be pitching on just three days' rest, and he lasted only two innings in Game 3 at Fenway Park. Plus, he's never a sure thing due to his balky back.
The Yankees really might have to piece it together to pull this one out. They haven't lost four straight games since April -- three of those came at home against the Red Sox.
``Their team has responded. We're going to find out about our team,'' captain Derek Jeter said. ``We haven't been in this situation. Not this team.''
After blowing late leads in Boston the previous two days, the Yankees thought coming home would give them a boost.
Instead, the momentum remained with the Red Sox.
``Nobody in here, even all of us, thought that this was going to be easy,'' reliever Tom Gordon said. ``We just need to go out there and do what we do, make it fun for ourselves.''
Playing before a lively crowd of 56,128 on a raw, misty night, New York couldn't even get a hometown call.
Mark Bellhorn's three-run homer for the Red Sox was originally ruled a ground-rule double. But after much discussion, the umpires correctly reversed the call -- the ball had ricocheted back onto the field after hitting a fan in the front row of the left-field seats.
Then, in the eighth, with the Yankees seemingly on the verge of another comeback, the biggest call of the night went against them.
Rodriguez hit a dribbler between the mound and first base. Boston reliever Bronson Arroyo picked up the ball and reached out to tag Rodriguez, who chopped down on Arroyo's arm and knocked the ball free.
Jeter raced around to score and Rodriguez wound up on second, apparently cutting the deficit to 4-3. But the umpires got together again and called Rodriguez out for interference.
``I should have just run over him,'' Rodriguez said.
Angry fans began throwing debris on the field, delaying the game even longer. When play resumed, Jeter went back to first and Arroyo escaped further damage.
New York went 14 innings in two games without a run before Bernie Williams homered off Schilling in the seventh. Even then, only Jeter jumped off the bench and showed any enthusiasm.
The Yankees put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Tony Clark struck out against closer Keith Foulke to end it.
``I think everybody presses at a certain point,'' catcher Jorge Posada said. ``Trying to do too much. Trying to hit the ball too hard. We didn't hit in the clutch.''
Now the Yankees are left trying to avoid a collapse as monumental as any the Red Sox ever endured.
``I guess it was supposed to come to Game 7. We'll see what happens,'' Torre said.
I like the Boston's chances. The Sox are now Rivera's daddies, and there won't be a steroid enhanced Giambi to hit two solo homers in game 7 like last year.
I'm with you bear11, I'm not much of a Yankees fan, but I've never been a Bosox fan. And the fact that Lurch says he's a bosox fan is enough for me to want to see them go down in flames.
Go Yanks!!
No. THIS is taking all of this a little too seriously...
I am a Sox fan and I know many Sox fans and Mr. Skerry is NO Sox fan! Please remember that not all New Englanders - yes the Sox represent all the New England states - are Kerry supporters. Those of us that support President Bush here is MA live a special hell since one Skerry is defeated this November, we still get to have him as our Senator. Let us just say - may the best team win.
Relax.
I just spoke to Jidge and he'll be at the game tonight.
Al
From the Heavenly Hall of Fame
Oh yeah.
Jidge also wanted me to tell you that he'll beat THESE Red Sox one-handed. Says his 1918 Red Sox team would have wiped the floor with them.
Thinks this bunch of ****suckers need a shave and a haircut (I told him to watch the language, but hey - you gonna tell Jidge to clean up his mouth? He only hit about 400 more HRs than I did)
Oh yeah, he wanted me to tell you one more thing, personally from him:
"Keeeed, you might not SEE me tonight, but TRUST ME, I WILL be there. Now go get me a coupla hotdogs, willyakeeed?"
Bet ya don't see this on the YES network when they list historic Yankee firsts.
You think you got it bad. Try being a Braves fan. We've seen a choke in 12 out of 13 Post season appearances. Bobby Cox is the best regular season manager, but the worst playoff manager. However, I am pulling for Cards against Houston.
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