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March 23, 2005

ALCS 3: Yankees 19, Red Sox 8

You know what? To hell with Game 3. I didn't write anything about it back in October either. ... I watched Bronson Arroyo pitch to the first four batters in the top of the first -- walk, double, fly out, home run -- but that was enough.

However, there were some things I would have liked to see:

Towards the end of Boston's second inning rally against Kevin Brown (they scored four to take a brief lead), the crowd is chanting "Punch the wall! Punch the wall!" ... A few minutes later, Damon is shown clipping his toe nails on the top of the dugout steps.

Somewhere in the middle innings, Derek Jeter is overheard (thanks to one of the dugout mics) as saying something like "Let's get 20!" I missed that the first time around.

I would also have liked to have heard the commentary when Tim Wakefield came in to pitch in the 4th inning, giving up his chance to start Game 4, meaning that Derek Lowe would absolutely get the ball.

Wakefield pitched like shit -- 3.1 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs, allowing the Yankees' lead to balloon from 9-6 to 14-6 -- but as everyone has said, he saved the pen a lot of work. As did Mike Myers, who pitched the 8th and 9th innings, throwing 41 pitches.

Myers allowed the first four Yankees to reach base in the 9th. Only two of them scored, but I wonder how long Tito would have left him out there if he had continued to struggle. ... Because the only other available pitchers were Timlin, Foulke, Lowe, Pedro and Schilling. And Francona wasn't going to use any of them.

Hideki Matsui: 5-for-6, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, five RBI. Someone better knock that guy on his ass -- and soon.

Ramiro Mendoza pitched one inning and allowed one hit and one run, easily the best Boston pitching performance of the evening. And he got stuck with the loss -- the last game the 2004 Red Sox would lose. ... Ah, am I spoiling the ending?

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