The Red Sox came to the Stadium last night to try to avenge an embarrassing 13-5 defeat the night before, and thanks to my brother’s generosity, I was there, seated somewhere between Rudy Giuliani and Michael Strahan. At the start of the night, you wouldn’t say that the Sox were starting from a position of strength: Their pitcher, David Pauley, had just come up from the minors. After his first start, he had an ERA of 12.46. Meanwhile, he was facing Yankee sophomore Chien-Ming Wang, whose 4-something ERA wasn’t terrific but who has pitched well in recent starts.

What a game it was.

Wang looked shaky at first, running his pitch count to 48 after just two innings and giving up a mammoth homer to David Ortiz in the third inning. Two terrific defensive plays by first baseman Andy Phillips—both leaping grabs of rocket line drives— probably saved more runs.

Meanwhile, Pauley was just terrific, mixing speeds, changing locations, and making the Yankee hitters look like they were facing Luis Tiant rather than a rookie fresh off the farm. Only a solo home run by Bernie Williams saved the Yankees from being shut out through six.

In the bottom of the seventh, they broke through, barely. With two outs, Miguel Cairo, filling in for the injured Derek Jeter at short, hit a little dribbler that scooted under Pauley’s glove then under second baseman Mark Loretta’s hand. (The ball was generously scored a hit.) Then Johnny Damon singled and rookie Melky Cabrera, playing for injured left-fielder Hideki Matsui, walked to load the bases. After David Pauley exited—this kid has a future—Jason Giambi then walked on six pitches, forcing in what would be the winning run.

But only because of an astonishing play by Cabrera in the top of the 8th. With two out, Manny Ramirez absolutely socked a ball to deep left-center—a home run in any American League park other than Yankee Stadium (assuming it didn’t hit the Green Monster). But Cabrera, whose defense has been shaky, raced back to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, caught the ball behind the wall, and fell back onto the field with the ball in his glove. Ramirez, who was trotting between second and third at this point, stopped dead in his tracks, as amazed as was the rest of the Stadium. After that, Mariano Rivera came in for an easy ninth. (Well, he made it look easy.)

A tough loss for the Sox—worse than a blowout, I think—a great victory for the Yankees…but either way, a great showdown. Great pitching, incredible defense, rookies coming up big in clutch situations. Fantastic.

Jason Giambi batting in the bottom of the eighth;
Giambi would walk in the winning run.