Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry Continues : 2003 Edition Quiz

Answer: They booked up all of the rooms in the hotel where Contreras was staying.

The Red Sox really tried this to keep the Yankees from getting close to Contreras in the Hotel Campo Real in Managua, Nicaragua. The Yankees simply met with Contreras elsewhere, and signed him to a 4 year contract. After they announced the deal on December 26, 2002, Red Sox President Larry Lucchino was angry enough to call the Yankees the "Evil Empire". Rumor has it that Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein broke a chair and a window in a rage when he heard the news.

He denied the story, calling it ridiculous.

Answer: Roger Clemens

On Memorial Day, in his first attempt at his 300th win, Clemens was roughed up by the Red Sox. He gave up 8 runs in 5 2/3 innings, getting the loss. After a few more tries, Clemens eventually got his 300th win in mid-June against the St. Louis Cardinals. He also got his 4,000th career strikeout in the same game.

Answer: Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter.

Soriano was hit on the hand while swinging, and Jeter was hit in nearly the same place. This angered many Yankee fans in attendance. Both batters left the game, but x-rays were negative for both. Mike Mussina out-dueled Martinez that day, leading the Yankees to a 2-1 win.

This kept them safely ahead of Boston. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner became so emotional over the game while talking to reporters that he was moved to tears.

Answer: Bernie Williams

Bernie homered in the 7th inning to break a scoreless tie. The Yankees eventually won the game 3-1. They held their first place lead for the rest of the season to finish in first place for the 6th year in a row. The Red Sox finished in second place for the 6th year in a row, making the playoffs as the Wild Card winner. The Yankees won the season series 10-9.

Answer: Bill Mueller

Red Sox 3rd baseman Bill Mueller won the title on the last day of the season, with a .326 average. He narrowly beat out teammate Manny Ramirez, who finished at .325. Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter finished third in the race, at .324. It was one of the closest batting title races in history.

Answer: Don Zimmer

It all started in the top of the 4th inning when Pedro Martinez threw a pitch behind Yankee batter Karim Garcia. Garcia took exception to it, and angry words were exchanged between Martinez and the Yankee dugout. When the bottom of the inning began, Manny Ramirez thought a Roger Clemens fastball came too close to him, and walked toward the mound waving his bat. Both benches cleared, and just as order was being restored, Zimmer charged towards Martinez, causing Martinez to flip Zimmer to the ground. Zimmer was helped off the field with a cut nose.

The Yankees eventually won the game 4-3 to take a 2-1 series lead, but not before another fight in the 9th inning. This one involved Yankee reliever Jeff Nelson and right fielder Karim Garcia, in the bullpen against a Fenway Park groundskeeper. Both sides eventually filed criminal charges against each other.

Answer: 2

Mike Mussina came into the game in the top of the 4th inning with no outs and runners on first and third. He pitched out of the inning, and shut Boston out through the 6th inning. It was the first relief appearance of Mussina's professional career. Jason Giambi hit solo homers in the bottom of the 5th and 7th innings.

The Red Sox led 4-2 in the top of the 8th inning, when starter David Wells came in to pitch. David Ortiz hit his first pitch for a homerun to give the Red Sox a 5-2 lead.

Answer: He left Martinez in to pitch even though he had thrown 118 pitches

The Yankees were rallying in the bottom of the 8th inning. They had scored one run to make it 5-3, and had runners on second and third with only one out. Little went out to talk to Martinez, who was clearly tiring. He left Martinez in to pitch to Jorgé Posada, who hit a double off of him to tie the game at 5-5. Martinez was then yanked from the game. Relievers Alan Embree and Mike Timlin got out of the inning without giving up any more runs. Little was fired by the Red Sox a month later.

Answer: Aaron Boone

Tim Wakefield had come into the game in the bottom of the 10th inning. The game stayed tied into the bottom of the 11th inning. Aaron Boone, who had entered the game in the 8th as a pinch runner, hit the first pitch he saw in the 11th into the left field seats for a game winning home run and sending the Yankees to their 6th World Series in 8 years.

The stadium crowd, which included me, went completely crazy, people jumping on top of each other, hugging, etc. The scene on the field among the Yankee players was the same.

The Yankees went on to lose the World Series in six games to the Florida Marlins. Boston's World Series drought would last at least one more year.

Answer: Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera won the award for his pitching performance in games 2, 3, 5, and 7. He pitched 8 innings, with 2 saves and 1 win. Wakefield led Red Sox pitchers with a 2-1 record, Jorgé Posada led Yankee batters with 6 RBI's, and Walker led Red Sox batters with a .370 average.

Heading into game 7, the two teams had scored the same amount of runs, with 24 each. It was one of the most closely contested post-season series ever.