Bronx Bombers beat Bosox

The Yankees took a 2-1 series lead after rallying for a 4-3 victory.
BOSTON (AP) -- The pitching battle for the ages lived up to its billing. And not just because Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez were on the mound.
In a game that featured brawls, brushbacks and plenty of bad blood, Clemens pitched the New York Yankees past the Boston Red Sox 4-3 Saturday for a 2-1 lead in the AL championship series.
Martinez grabbed 72-year-old coach Don Zimmer by the head and threw him to the ground during a fourth-inning melee. The fight began after Martinez threw behind Karim Garcia's head in the top of the fourth, and Clemens threw a high pitch to Manny Ramirez.
The Rocket, however, never got flustered against his former team in his Fenway Park farewell, and a most bizarre chapter was added to baseball's most bitter rivalry.
"We've upgraded from a battle to a war," Boston manager Grady Little said.
Derek Jeter hit a tying homer to help the Yankees overcome a 2-0 first-inning deficit, and Hideki Matsui had a go-ahead double for New York.
"It was huge, especially playing here," Jeter said. "This won't mean anything unless we come out tomorrow and win."
"We're to play baseball, that's first and foremost in our minds," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We win two more games and we get to go to the World Series."
Key battle
Saturday's game was billed as a heavyweight matchup between two pitchers who have won a total of nine Cy Young Awards, and the fighting began just after Matsui's RBI double put New York ahead 3-2.
Martinez's next pitch was behind Garcia's head, and plate umpire Alfonso Marquez ruled that it nicked Garcia's back before hitting his bat. Marquez issued a warning to both dugouts about throwing inside. Torre thought Martinez deliberately threw at Garcia.
"That's no mistake in my mind," Torre said. "You can't sit around and say, 'OK, do what you want.' "
Alfonso Soriano then came up with the bases loaded and no outs, and he grounded to shortstop, with Boston turning a double play as Nick Johnson scored from third.
Garcia slid hard, knocking down second baseman Todd Walker. The two began shoving each other, and both teams slowly came out of the dugouts, yelling. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, Clemens and Zimmer were among the loudest.
When play resumed, Enrique Wilson popped out, ending the inning.
Getting nasty
Two umpires pulled Clemens aside as he went to the mound for the bottom of the inning.
With the count 1-2 to Ramirez leading off, Clemens threw a high pitch, at the level of Ramirez's head, but not far inside. Ramirez bailed before the pitch even reached the plate, raised his bat slightly and shouted at Clemens, who yelled back.
Both dugouts and bullpens emptied, with Zimmer coming all the way across the infield to the first-base side. The coach headed for the 31-year-old Martinez and lunged at him. Martinez sidestepped him, grabbed his bald head with both hands and tossed him to the ground. Zimmer landed face down and rolled over on his back.
"I think Zim's a little old for that," Boston manager Grady Little said.
Martinez wasn't as dominant as usual Saturday, throwing far more curveballs than normal -- this coming off two tough outings in the first round, when he threw a season-high 130 pitches in the opener against Oakland and 100 in Game 5.
Appearing fired up after the fight, he retired his final nine batters. But he still lost for the first time in the postseason, dropping to 4-1.
Short stay
Neither Clemens nor Martinez lasted to the end. Clemens allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one. Just two of the hits came after the first.
Martinez gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one.
Boston closed within a run in the seventh when Felix Heredia relieved and walked David Ortiz leading off. Millar then singled off Jose Contreras, sending Ortiz to third. Trot Nixon then bounced into a double play that scored a run -- the third double play turned by the Yankees.
Mariano Rivera came in to start the eighth and retired six straight batters for his first save of the series, sealing New York's second straight win. He has retired 21 of 22 hitters in the postseason.
NEW YORKBOSTON
abrhbiabrhbi
EWilsn 3b4000Damon cf4130
ABoone 3b0000TWalkr 2b3110
Jeter ss4121Grcprr ss4000
JaGbi dh4000MRmrz lf4012
BWllms cf4000DOrtiz dh3100
Posada c3210Millar 1b4010
NJhnsn 1b4120Nixon rf3000
Matsui lf4011Mueller 3b2000
KGarca rf2011Varitek c3000
JRivra rf0000
ASrano 2b3000
Totals32473Totals30362
New York011200000--4
Boston200000100--3
DP--New York 3, Boston 2. LOB--New York 3, Boston 3. 2B--Posada (3), Matsui (1), TWalker (1). HR--Jeter (1). CS--MRamirez (1).
IPHRERBBSO
New York
Clemens W,1-0652217
Heredia001110
Contreras110010
MRivera S,1200000
Boston
PMartinez L,0-1764416
Timlin100002
Embree110000
Heredia pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP--by PMartinez (KGarcia). Umpires--Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Derryl Cousins; Second, Joe West; Third, Angel Hernandez; Left, Tim McClelland; Right, Terry Craft. T--3:09. A--34,209.
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