The first game of a critical rivalry series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park came out in favor of the visitors, but a scary injury and its aftermath were far more important than the game’s outcome, as they should have been. Boston reliever Bryce Florie took a line drive right off the face and would not return to a big-league mound for just under a full year, and he pitched only seven games in 2001 before retiring.
Florie’s injury overshadowed the opener, but there were
still games to be played, and both teams needed them for different reasons related to playoff implications. The two squads were throwing out two of their best pitchers: Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez, setting up for an exciting second game.
September 9: Yankees 5, Red Sox 3 (box score)
Record: 81-58 (1st in AL East, 8.0 games ahead)
For those walking through the gates of one of the most famous ballparks and stadiums across the nation (and arguably the world), they were going to receive a treat of a pitching matchup. Pettitte and Martinez by season’s end would both be sporting high honors, with the Yankees lefty finishing fourth in American League Cy Young voting and Martinez unanimously walking away with the award, his second in a row. Martinez finished the season with a 1.74 ERA, and his team was hoping he’d continue that in this game.
Early on, both pitchers found their stride, with the Red Sox striking first. The offenses for both squads were quiet in both the first and second innings, with the Yankees failing to register a hit. The first run was scored after José Offerman hit a two-out single to right field, and Carl Everett doubled to left field but was out on a rundown play.
The Yankees finally recorded their first hit of the game in the top of the fourth inning thanks to David Justice, but they weren’t able to find any semblance of offense after that, as Tino Martinez reached on an error prior in the inning and made it to third on the hit before having to walk back to the dugout following the final out.
Following that chance for the Yankees, there were only two hits total until the top of the seventh inning. Both starters were still in the game, and Martinez led off the top of the seventh with a single to left before Justice and
José Canseco worked two straight outs. It looked as if this was going to be another wasted inning in a long string of them for the Bombers, just trying to find a rhythm. But a walk issued to Jorge Posada kept the inning alive for Scott Brosius, and on a 3-2 count, he delivered a massive three-run home run over the Green Monster.
The seventh was the last inning Martinez would pitch in the game, but Pettitte would work into and through the eighth inning with just that one run to his name. He allowed a single in the bottom of the seventh, and in the bottom of the eighth, he worked a one-two-three inning, finishing the game with 125 pitches.
Pettitte made way for Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, but before The Sandman could take the mound at Fenway, the Yankees would add an extra two runs in the top of the ninth, which would prove to be the most important runs of the game. Justice hit a one-out double off Red Sox reliever Rod Beck, who gave way to Tim Wakefield. But that didn’t throw off Canseco, who stepped into the batter’s box and clobbered a knuckler for the Yankees’ second home run of the game, putting the visitors up 5-1.
Boston made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. They smoked three consecutive extra-base hits with two down and scored two runs to make the game 5-3, but three strikeouts in the inning by Rivera gave the Yankees a huge win.
With the victory, the Yankees put another game between them and the Red Sox in the AL East, moving up to an eight-game lead (which they would need more than they realized). As for Boston, their hopes of a third consecutive Wild Card appearance took a hit, as despite getting to start Pedro, they lost ground to all of Cleveland, Oakland, and Seattle.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.
