1999 American League Championship Series
Encyclopedia
Game 1
Wednesday, October 13, 1999 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 was a matchup between Kent Mercker
Kent Mercker
Kent Franklin Mercker is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career....
and Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández Pedroso , nicknamed "El Duque", is a former Cuban right-handed baseball pitcher....
. The soon-to-be-named 1999 ALCS MVP got into trouble in the first two innings. After a leadoff single by Jose Offerman
José Offerman
José Antonio Offerman Dono is a former professional baseball player who played professional baseball for nearly 20 years...
, John Valentin
John Valentin
John William Valentin is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played most of his major league career with the Boston Red Sox, with his final season being for the New York Mets. He batted and threw right-handed...
would reach on an error by Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
, scoring Offerman for the first run of the game in the first. Valentin would score on Brian Daubach
Brian Daubach
Brian Michael Daubach is a retired Major League Baseball player and current minor league baseball manager. During his playing career Daubach served as a first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter...
's single to right. It looked like the Red Sox were ready to clobber the Yankees, but no more runs would score in the inning. Darren Lewis
Darren Lewis
Darren Joel Lewis is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago White Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox ; he played his final season in 2002 with the Chicago Cubs...
would score on an infield hit in the second to make it 3–0 Red Sox. But the Yankees resilience showed itself in the bottom half. With Shane Spencer
Shane Spencer
Michael Shane Spencer is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. In Major League Baseball, he played a total of 538 games for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and New York Mets, compiling 438 hits, 59 home runs, and 242 RBI...
on first with two out, Scott Brosius
Scott Brosius
Scott David Brosius is a former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees . Brosius is currently the head baseball coach at Linfield College, his alma mater....
slugged a home run to make it a one-run game. The duel continued into the seventh. With Derek Lowe
Derek Lowe
Derek Christopher Lowe is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He throws and bats right-handed. He is 6'6" and 230 pounds.-Early years:...
now pitching, Brosius singled to lead off the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
moved him into scoring position. Jeter would single to center and drive in Brosius to tie the game. Small ball helped the Yankees tie the game, but the long ball would win it in the bottom of the tenth. Rod Beck
Rod Beck
Rodney Roy "Rod" Beck nicknamed "Shooter", was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres...
came on in relief and promptly gave up a leadoff homer to Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
to lose the game for the Red Sox. The Yankees had a one-game lead in the series.
Game 2
Thursday, October 14, 1999 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkGame 2 pitted Ramón Martínez against David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
. After grabbing a 1–0 lead behind a solo home run in the fourth by Tino Martinez
Tino Martinez
Constantino "Tino" Martinez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman.Martinez was the first round draft pick for the Seattle Mariners in out of the University of Tampa where he starred during his time on campus. He began his Major League career in and has played for the Mariners, New...
, the Red Sox responded. With one man on in the top of the fifth, Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra is a former Major League Baseball player. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and...
homered to put the Red Sox ahead. A double by Knoblauch and a single by Paul O'Neill put the Yankees ahead in the bottom of the seventh. The lead would stand and Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
, who won Game 1, got the save in the ninth to put the Yankees up two games going to Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
.
Game 3
Saturday, October 16, 1999 at Fenway ParkFenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
in Boston, Massachusetts
Game 3 was the long anticipated matchup between Pedro Martínez
Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
and Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
. But the Red Sox would come out swinging. After a leadoff triple by Offerman, Valentin homered to put the Red Sox ahead 2–0. The onslaught would continue as the Red Sox would score in all but two innings. Clemens was done in the third inning and the Red Sox would go on to win 13–1 and make the series two games to one. When Clemens was knocked out Red Sox fans chanted "Where is Roger?" and then a response chant of "In the Shower". Martinez, for his part, pitched brilliantly, striking out twelve Yankees in seven scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. He would finish 1999 with a streak of seventeen scoreless innings in the playoffs.
Game 4
Sunday, October 17, 1999 at Fenway ParkFenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
in Boston, Massachusetts
Game 4 pitted Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
against Bret Saberhagen
Bret Saberhagen
Bret William Saberhagen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.-Early years:Bret Saberhagen attended Grover Cleveland High School, located in Reseda, California. Saberhagen starred in both basketball and baseball...
. The Yankees would score first after Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
hit a solo home run to silence the crowd chants of ( Darryl, Darryl) and (Just say no) in his first at bat. But the Red Sox would tie it in the bottom half when Troy O'Leary
Troy O'Leary
Troy Franklin O'Leary is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs and also in the Australian Baseball League for the Daikyo Dolphins...
singled to score Butch Huskey
Butch Huskey
Robert Leon "Butch" Huskey , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1993 and 1995-2000....
. Damon Buford
Damon Buford
Damon Buford is a retired Major League Baseball player. Buford played between 1993 and 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.-College career:...
scored in the third to put the Red Sox ahead 2–1. Two unearned runs gave the Yankees the lead in the fourth. The score would remain the same until the ninth when the Yankees pulled ahead. A six-run inning, capped by a Ricky Ledee
Ricky Ledée
Ricardo Alberto "Ricky" Ledée is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in his decade long professional career. He won two World Series...
grand slam, gave the Yankees the win. They were one win away from the World Series.
This game also featured the infamous trash throwing incident by fans when Jimy Williams was ejected from the game after arguing when Nomar Garciaparra was called out at first in the ninth inning, which followed a blown call by umpire Tim Tschida
Tim Tschida
Timothy Joseph Tschida is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's full-time staff in 1986, and has worked in both major leagues since 2000....
on a Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
tag attempt of Jose Offerman
José Offerman
José Antonio Offerman Dono is a former professional baseball player who played professional baseball for nearly 20 years...
in the eighth inning. The blown call is now famously referred to as "The Phantom Tag".
Game 5
Monday, October 18, 1999 at Fenway ParkFenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
in Boston, Massachusetts
Game 5 was a rematch between Mercker and Hernandez. Jeter hit a two-run homer in the first to put the Yankees up for good. The Yankees would continue to add to their lead and El Duque kept the Red Sox in check, allowing only one run on a homer by Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox...
. Both teams left eleven men on base and the Yankees would go on to win the pennant.
Composite box
1999 ALCS (4–1): New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
over Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...