"Red Sox vs Yankees - July 27, 2003" a Boston Travel Page by grkboiler

It was a perfect night for baseball. A packed stadium. A heated rivalry. Red Sox fans jawing at Yankee fans. Acting legend James Earl Jones speaking the National Anthem.

The Yankees brought Jeff Weaver to the mound, while the Red Sox started Derek Lowe. The Yankees jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on a Jason Giambi home run. They extended their lead to 3-0 by the 6th inning. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The 7th inning started very promising, as the Red Sox grabbed a run to make it 3-1 with just 1 out. Weaver was pulled for relief pitcher Chris Hammond. Then Jason Varitek stepped up to the plate with 2 men on.

I heard the crack of the bat and the simultaneous roar of the crows. As soon as Varitek hit the ball, we all knew it was gone. I looked up into the Boston sky as Hammond's pitch cleared the Green Monster. 4-3 Red Sox.

Next up, Johnny Damon. A few pitches later, the crowd erupted again, and the ball landed about 10 rows in front of me in the right field stands. 5-3 Sox. The Sox then made it 6-3 with another run.

After that, the crowd came to life and it was a different ballgame. The crowd cheered every pitch and every play. They knew if the Yankees would win, it would ruin a great day and everyone would have a very grumpy Monday morning. A few altercations in the crowd led to some Yankee fans being escorted to the Fenway jail.

And when the final out was recorded after a tense ninth, the fans let out a roar and stormed out onto the streets in joy. The evil Yankees, cause of pain for generations of Red Sox fans, had been defeated. Final score, 6-4.

But a couple months later in the game the mattered most, Game 7 of the ALCS, the Yanks would have the last laugh,adding another chapter of hell in the Red Sox history, with an extra inning home run by Aaron Boone.

Red Sox fans would have to wait another year.