We all just accept the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have one of the greatest rivalries in sports, but the tension certainly has simmered over the years. However, back in 2003, it was nearing a boiling point.
The golden era of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry played out over the course of two seasons and two offseasons spanning between the ’03 campaign. In 2003, of course, the Yankees walked off on the Red Sox in a classic American League Championship Series Game 7 only to see Boston stage a historic comeback a year later to win the 2004 pennant.
In between, there were some skirmishes and bad blood. Perhaps no showdown was as controversial or as big as what happened in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS.
You can watch that game Monday night at 6 p.m. ET on NESN. Before watching, here’s what you might have forgotten about Game 3 of the ’03 ALCS at Fenway Park.
1. “ROG-ERRRR”
The game was billed as the final Fenway Park start of Clemens’ illustrious career (and it would have been if not for his ridiculous 2007 Yankees comeback). The rabid Fenway Faithful let Clemens have it early and often, and the place went absolutely bonkers in the bottom of the first inning when Manny Ramirez laced a single into center field to give the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead. The two-run knock improved Ramirez’s series line to 6-for-10 through the first three games and wouldn’t be their last showdown of the day.
2. Who is Karim Garcia?
Derek Jeter cut into the lead with a third-inning home run, and then things took a turn for the worse in the fourth. New York got to Martinez and led 3-2 when Karim Garcia stepped in. Martinez hit Garcia with a fastball up near his head, a pitch Martinez claimed got away from him.
Garcia understandably was peeved and tried to get payback on his own. The outfielder tried to take out Todd Walker at second base on an ensuing fielder’s choice. Martinez gestured into the Yankees dugout, and Clemens had to be held back, as some of the Red Sox left the dugout, too.
Garcia’s reaction clearly irked Martinez, as he noted in his book “Pedro” years later.
“I don’t know if Karim’s outburst meant he was under the influence of steroids, but it sure rang a bell with me of what people back then used to call ‘roid rage.’ What could he have been thinking? Jesus Christ.”
Martinez has had it out for Garcia in the years that followed, taunting him in an ESPN documentary and calling him out by name at a Fenway Park celebration in 2012.
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3. Payback — sort of.
With Clemens on the mound, the Red Sox had to know Martinez’s chin music — and subsequent gesturing toward the Yankees dugout — was going to sit well with the notoriously hot-headed Clemens. It didn’t take long for things to boil over. With Ramirez leading off to start the inning, his 1-2 pitch, a 92 mph fastball was high and a little tight on Ramirez. It didn’t really come close to hitting Ramirez, but that didn’t matter. Ramirez tried to storm the mound, which led to the benches clearing.
4. Down goes Zimmer
The lasting image of the entire day would be an unfortunate skirmish between Martinez and Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer. With the benches cleared, the 73-year-old Zimmer went right after Martinez, who was put in a tough spot. He obviously couldn’t fight Zimmer, so he tried to side-step the charging bull and ended up tossing him to the ground in the process.
“The only thing that went through my mind was ‘Where’s Pedro?’ I said, well, this is my only chance to go after Pedro,” Zimmer said after the game.
Martinez, who would say years later he wish things had gone differently, gave his side of the story after the game: “I was shocked, really shocked. … But I wouldn’t have hit him. I could never do it.”
5. From ugly to uglier
As the Red Sox readied for their final at-bat in the ninth inning, a commotion arose in right field. A mini-brawl broke out in the Yankees’ right-field bullpen, as Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson got into it with a Fenway Park security guard. Garcia, apparently never one to turn down a fight, somehow got involved, too. As FOX returned from commercial, Garcia could be seen holding his hand in a towel, as police sorted things out in the ‘pen. Eventually, all three — Nelson, Garcia and the employee — were charged with assault and battery for their roles, as Nelson and Garcia eventually got 50 days of probation.
Oh, and the Yankees held on to win the game 4-3.
