Boone Dents Red Sox

His name will live in infamy in Boston, in glorious legend in New York. He will be cursed at Fenway Park, toasted at Yankee Stadium.

Aaron Boone is a bit player for the New York Yankees. Then again, so was Bucky Dent.

On a crisp fall day 25 years ago, Dent hit the home run that sent the Yankees into the World Series and the Boston Red Sox home for a long, bitter winter. On a crisper fall evening Thursday, Boone hit a walkoff home run in the 11th inning, propelling the Yankees into the World Series with a 6-5 victory in Game 7 of the American League championship series.

“You always emulate these moments in your backyard,” Boone said.

“That’s a highlight forever,” Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman said. “That will never go away. It will be included on postseason reruns forever.”

The World Series starts Saturday at Yankee Stadium, against the Florida Marlins.

In Boston, the winter of 2003 will be longer and more bitter than the one a quarter-century ago, with venom directed at Boston Manager Grady Little. The Red Sox, still in search of their first World Series title since 1918, were five outs away from victory, with a 5-2 lead and ace Pedro Martinez on the mound.

“I think we’re always going to have this game in the back of our minds for the rest of our lives,” Boston center fielder Johnny Damon said. “This is probably as close as we’ll ever get to the World Series without going. We wanted to erase a curse and it seems like that curse is going to be with us for another year.”

The so-called “Curse of the Bambino,” the pox on Boston for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920, lives.

“We’ve got some ghosts in this stadium,” Yankee catcher Jorge Posada said. “I don’t know about a curse, but we’ve got some magic.”

The Yankees scored three times off Martinez in the eighth inning, tying the score at 5-5. Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, the series’ most valuable player, pitched three shutout innings, earning the victory when Boone homered against Boston’s Tim Wakefield.

Rivera had not pitched three innings in a game since 1996. As Boone raised his arms, circled the bases and disappeared beneath a mass of teammates at home plate, Rivera rushed to the mound and knelt there.

“I was kissing and hugging it,” he said.

Never before in major league history had Cy Young Award winners faced each other in Game 7 of a postseason series. As each man delivered his first pitch, first Roger Clemens and then Martinez, cameras flashed from every direction, an evening of living history for the crowd of 56,274.

Clemens was long gone by the time the Red Sox apparently stayed too long with Martinez.

Jason Giambi hit a home run in the fifth inning and another in the seventh, but both homers were solo shots. The Red Sox led, 4-2, seven outs away from the World Series.

David Ortiz homered in the top of the eighth. The Red Sox led, 5-2, six outs away.

Martinez got the first out, but Derek Jeter doubled and Bernie Williams singled him home. The Yankees had cut the lead to 5-3, and Martinez had given up five hits to the past six batters.

Little visited Martinez, at 115 pitches. He let Martinez decide what to do, and Martinez said he would keep pitching.

“He’s the best starter in the game,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “It would be tough for any manager to say, no, you’re not staying in this game, when it’s Pedro Martinez.”

Hideki Matsui doubled Williams to third (a fan touched the ball). The tying runs were in scoring position, with Martinez at 118 pitches. Five outs away from the World Series, Little did nothing.

“He’s the one we want on the mound over anybody we can bring in out of the bullpen,” Little said.

Posada dropped a flare into shallow center field, a bloop that turned into a double when no Boston player covered second base. The tying runs scored, and bedlam erupted. Little finally removed Martinez, at 123 pitches, a total he exceeded only twice during the regular season.

“He had enough left in his tank to finish off Posada,” Little said. “He squeezed the ball out over the infield. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Clemens did not distinguish himself. He faced 17 batters, got nine outs and gave up four runs. But Mike Mussina, in his first relief appearance after 401 starts, replaced Clemens and pitched three shutout innings, a performance Torre called “a tourniquet.” Felix Heredia, Jeff Nelson and even David Wells completed the bridge to Rivera.

But Clemens will start again, in the World Series. Martinez heads home, but not before absolving Little and advising Boston fans to direct their angst at him.

“I am the ace of the team. You have to trust me,” Martinez said. “This is no time to say I’m tired. If you’re getting outs, you have to stay out there.... I was the one who gave up the lead.

“If anyone wants to blame Grady, they shouldn’t point their fingers at him. He doesn’t play the game. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

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Yankee Dramatics

Postseason walkoff home runs by the New York Yankees:

*--* Player Year Series Opp. When Inn. Pitcher AARON 2003 League Boston Game 7 11th Tim BOONE championship Wakefield DEREK 2001 World Series Arizona Game 4 10th Byung-Hyu JETER n Kim ALFONSO 2001 League Seattle Game 4 9th Kazuhiro SORIANO championship Sasaki CHAD 1999 World Series Atlanta Game 3 10th Mike CURTIS Remlinger BERNIE 1999 League Boston Game 1 10th Rod Beck WILLIAMS championship BERNIE 1996 League Baltimore Game 1 11th Randy WILLIAMS championship Myers JIM 1995 Division Seattle Game 2 15th Tim LEYRITZ Belcher CHRIS 1976 League Kansas City Game 5 9th Mark CHAMBLISS championship Littell MICKEY 1964 World Series St. Louis Game 3 9th Barney MANTLE Schultz TOMMY 1949 World Series Brooklyn Game 1 9th Don HENRICH Newcombe

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