This was the first-ever postseason matchup between these two storied rivals. Safe to say, it would be a few more years before things truly began to heat up.
In 1999, the Red Sox weren't really ready for the Yankees in a playoff match-up, though they did have a good chance to win at least one of the first two games--even both--at the Bronx. Come 2003 and 2004, it would be historic in more ways than one.
Shame this series didnt go 7 games. It would have been awesome to see Prime Pedro in Yankee Stadium against somewhat prime Clemens (with hopefully Clemens pitching better).
Wow interesting that Jeff Nelson went after a Red Sox employee after game 4. Only to assault a Red Sox employee 4 years later during an ALCS game with Karim Garcia.
With few exceptions (Smoltz/Morris 91, Halladay/Carpenter 2011) heavily hyped playoff pitchers duels don’t always live up to the billing. Roger/Pedro G3 99- another example of this
Roger/Pedro G7 2003 also. Clemens gone early, Predro aka Grady Little blew it in the 8th. Roger/Pedro G3 2003 was much better pitching wise. It’s overshadowed by the Pedro/Zimmer moment. Tensions were extremely high after the brawls & Clemens was filthy after that.
& these days, we can’t even get excited for a potential great pitching match up.. cause it’ll be like Game 6 & one team will have some random Reliever as the Opener for 1 or 2 innings & the other team will have their Starter dominating, he’ll give up a lead off Double to start the 4th inning & he’s gone… 🤨 We get to see 12-15 Pitchers in the game.. Brutal..
Btw, I've always liked the background theme music that Sportscenter played during the Game 3 highlights of this series. I'd like to know the name of it.
Up to this point, only Cleveland has been able to put any dents into the Yankees armor of AL October invulnerability- and they’re out (beat them in 97, gave them a real scare in 98) A rematch would have been intriguing. Alas.
I'm surprised no one has made a mention of the umpires blowing several calls against the Red Sox (Games 1 and 4 in particular) that led to the fans throwing junk on the field near the end of Game 4. Red Sox fans felt like it was 9 (Red Sox) against 15 (Yankees + Umpires).
We've seen Joe Dimaggio vs. Ted Williams. We've seen the Yankees win the final two games to take the 1949 pennant from Boston. We've seen the epic 1978 race where the Yanks came back from 14 games down to win the East on Bucky Dent's HR. But one of baseball's best rivalries has a new chapter in 1999: their first ever playoff matchup. And the Red Sox would like nothing more to beat the Yankees and when their first WS since they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in December 1919. "Before the series, I was talking to Yogi. He said, 'We've been playing these guys for 80 years. They can't beat us'", states Bernie Williams. Well, in Game 1 in the Bronx, the Red Sox picked up where they left off in the ALDS when they scored three early runs in the first two innings off El Duque. But Brosius' two-run shot in the 2nd got the Yankees going, and tied the score in the 7th. Then, after a botched call at second base in the top of the 10th cost Boston a rally, Bernie Williams went deep in the bottom half for a 4-3 Yankees' win. In Game 2, David Cone started for the first time in two weeks, and his only blemish was a two-run Garciaparra blast in the 5th that put the Red Sox ahead 2-1. But in the fateful 7th, the Yankees scored twice and hung on for a 3-2 win and head to Beantown up two games. The most anticipated match-up was at Fenway for Game 3: former Red Sox ace Roger Clemens against his successor: Pedro Martinez. John Valentin went deep in the first for a 2-0 Sox lead, and Boston didn't stop. Clemens was knocked out in the 3rd, and the Red Sox teed off on Hideki Irabu and his successors as they handed the Yanks their first 1999 playoff defeat, 13-1. Pedro struck out 11 in his 7 innings of work. The Yankees broke open a 3-2 game in the 9th by scoring 6 times, capped by a grand slam by pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee (only the 2nd in MLB postseason history) as they won 9-2. Then, in Game 5, ALCS MVP Orlando Hernandez allowed only one run in seven innings. New York finished off Boston, 6-1, and would now head back to the World Series for the third time in four years. For the Red Sox, it's wait 'til next year.
The Red Sox lost this series because they lost games 1 and 2 after leading after 6 innings. The Red Sox CANNOT LOSE THOSE GAMES, considering how their starters in both of those games pitched gems. They had to find a way to close out those games. Lets face it, the starting rotation for RSox in 99 was Pedro and a bunch of number 5 starters. And gosh, Derek Lowe in 1998 and 1999, he just collapsed in the postseason, costing RSox some games. A Mets-Red Sox rematch would have been awesome in 1999.
@@hmhm856 Nathan evovdi is like Rodger Clemens but I think Pedro Martinez will strike all Yankees batters and then the redsox will still beat the braves in the World Series in 1999 but in 6 games
The Red Sox wouldn't return to the playoffs until 2003 and then we all know what would happen in 2004, safe to say the series here would be a preview of huge things to come in 2003 and 2004
@@flames24lightning I would argue that point. Manny Ramirez was brought in in 2001, and Johnny Damon in 2002. The 02 team was one of the top run producing clubs in all of baseball Unfortunately, the Oakland Athletics emerged with their moneyball offense and the top 3 starting rotation in baseball. They became the perennial AL wild card team over that span of time. The Red Sox competed over those 3 seasons but always came up a day late and a buck short.
@@flames24lightning I think the biggest issue was that Pedro was almost a one man show in the Red Sox rotation. There was Saberhagen but it was more of a second wind from the guy and it was only for one year. Their rotation outside of Pedro was basically ass.
