2001: Arizona Diamondbacks 3, New York Yankees 2
The 2001 regular season belonged to the Seattle Mariners. Despite having recently lost three superstars – Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez – the 2001 Mariners tied an MLB record with 116 wins in the regular season. Of course, they ended up losing the ALCS to the Yankees, so those 116 wins will likely go in the record book as the most wins ever for a team that didn’t make the World Series.
The 2001 New York Yankees represented the American League in the World Series and actually had many fans across baseball rooting for them because of the attacks on 9/11 just a few weeks before. The National League representative was the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks, who were in just their fourth year of existence. They had been a 1998 expansion team. They rode the two-headed monster of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling all during the regular season and playoffs and would continue to ride them through the World Series.
In the series, the Diamondbacks jumped out in front with wins from Schilling and Johnson in Games One and Two. The Yankees beat Brian Anderson in Game Three, but Schilling was back on the bump for Game Four. He kept the Yankees in check, but Byung-Hyun Kim gave up a game-tying two-run homer to Tino Martinez in the bottom of the ninth and a game-losing solo homer to Derek Jeter in the bottom of the tenth. The Yankees had tied the series up, two games to two.
Game Five went 12 innings and featured nine pitchers between the two teams. Byung-Hyun Kim had another chance to close out the game in the bottom of the ninth and once again gave up a two-run shot to blow the save. This one was to Scott Brosius. The Yankees eventually won the game in 12 innings.
Game Six was a Diamondbacks blowout. They won 15-2 and had 22 hits. Randy Johnson started and went seven innings, throwing 104 pitches. Of note in this game is that Arizona led 15-0 after four innings, yet Johnson stayed in the game for three more innings. This set the stage for Game Seven.
The pitching matchup was Curt Schilling versus Roger Clemens. Both pitchers were on their game. Clemens went 6 1/3 and allowed a single run, striking out 10. Schilling went 7 1/3 and was touched for two runs while striking out nine. With two outs in the top of the eighth and Arizona losing 2-1, Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly summoned the Big Unit to keep the game close.
The Yankees pulled out their trump card in the bottom of the eighth when they brought in Mariano Rivera. He was (and still is) baseball’s greatest postseason closer. He tossed a scoreless inning. Randy Johnson shut down the Yankees in the top of the ninth. It was up to Rivera to get three outs to give the Yankees another World Series victory, which would be their fourth straight. The last team to win four World Series in a row was… the New York Yankees, from 1949 to 1953 (five straight).
Mark Grace led off with a single. Damian Miller laid down a bunt to Rivera, but the Great Mariano threw wild to second and both runners were safe. Jay Bell pinch hit for Randy Johnson with everyone in the park expecting a bunt. Bell did bunt but Rivera made a good play to get the force out at third. Then came the shocker. Tony Womack lined a double to right to tie the game, with Bell moving to third base. It was like watching Superman succumb to kryptonite. Rivera hit Craig Counsell to load the bases, then gave up a bloop single to Luis Gonzalez. The Diamondbacks had defeated the mighty Yankees.
That was the only loss of Mariano Rivera’s postseason career. He pitched 141 innings in the postseason and had an ERA of 0.70. In the “what might have been” category, you have to wonder how the game would have turned out if the Yankees had played back for the double play instead of in to get the runner at home.