Garcia's two-run hit has Red Sox reeling

Chants of 'Jailbird' didn't faze the former Indian outfielder.
BOSTON (AP) -- Karim Garcia is making headlines in a hurry, and he's not the only Yankee to make his first AL championship series a promising one.
Hideki Matsui, Nick Johnson and Aaron Boone also have contributed to New York's 3-2 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-seven series. None were with the team when it won its last World Series in 2000, its fourth title in five years.
The newcomers are coming through.
"It's something, especially when players come from other organizations, how they feel," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "You could see the light in their eye."
Garcia hit a two-run single in the second inning Tuesday night, three days after he was involved in a bullpen fracas that led to a police investigation, and the Yankees won 4-2. A win today or Thursday in New York would put them back in the World Series.
Fans taunted Garcia with chants of "Jailbird! Jailbird!" but the right fielder concentrated on the game.
"I really tried to ignore the fans," Garcia said. "I'm a professional and all I have to do is play baseball."
Core is broken up
The core of the team that dominated the late '90s has been broken up. Gone are Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and Paul O'Neill. Three who remain -- Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada -- are a combined 13-for-55 in the series.
But Matsui, who played in Japan last season, has driven in one run in four of the five games.
Boone, obtained from Cincinnati on July 31, went 2-for-3 in Game 5, while his counterpart at third base, AL batting champ Bill Mueller, is 2-for-17 in the ALCS.
And Johnson, in just his second full season with the Yankees, hit a two-run homer in New York's 6-2 win in Game 2.
Garcia has been the biggest headline grabber, surprising considering he hit .238 for six teams in his previous eight seasons and didn't join the Yankees this year until a trade with Cleveland on June 25.
"I'm not looking for publicity whatsoever," he said. "All I'm trying to do is just to help my team over here and win."
Saturday antics
Until Tuesday, the publicity wasn't the kind he was seeking. He was at the center of the Game 3 flare-ups that began when he was hit by a pitch in the upper back by Pedro Martinez in the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Manny Ramirez stepped toward pitcher Roger Clemens and pointed his bat after a high pitch that wasn't as threatening as Ramirez apparently thought.
And before the bottom of the ninth, Garcia scaled the right field fence in front of the New York bullpen when Yankee relievers became involved in a melee with a member of the grounds crew assigned to their bullpen.
Garcia took a downward swing with his left hand. He ended up with a cut, but didn't say how it happened.
He was able to put all that aside Tuesday, and Reggie Jackson, the Yankee Hall of Famer who was involved in his own controversies, knew why.
"A lot of times people say, 'Gosh, the easiest part is playing the game because then you have to block everything out,' " Jackson said. "I don't think Karim is affected by it because he feels he did the right thing."