I don't care how many times you've seen the replay -- Aaron Boone's walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS still gives me chills. First pitch. Knuckleball from Tim Wakefield. Left field seats at Yankee Stadium. Bottom of the 11th. Series over. The New York Yankees were going back to the World Series, and the Red Sox were going home with 85 more years of Curse talk ringing in their ears. (It was actually just one more year, but we didn't know that yet.)
October 16, 2003. That's the date. Remember it.
How We Got to the 11th
This wasn't some random playoff game -- this was the peak of the rivalry. The post-dynasty Yankees versus a Red Sox team that hadn't won a championship since 1918. The ALCS went the full seven, and Game 7 was pure chaos from the jump.
Pedro Martinez was dealing. Boston held a 5-2 lead heading into the eighth inning, and Pedro had been dominant. Then Grady Little made THE decision -- the one that got him fired, the one Red Sox fans still lose sleep over. He left Pedro in. Jeter doubled. Bernie singled to make it 5-3. Little walked to the mound, talked to Pedro, and LEFT HIM IN THE GAME. (Against left-handed hitters! With the bullpen ready! I still can't believe it.)
Matsui doubled. Posada blooped a double down the line. Tie game, 5-5. Fenway would've been a crime scene. Yankee Stadium was shaking.
Mo Buys Time
Mariano Rivera entered in the ninth and did what Mo does -- he shut Boston down for three scoreless innings. Three. In a Game 7. On the road team's field. (Wait, this was at the Stadium. Never mind -- it felt like an away game given how tight it was.) Mo threw 48 pitches across those three innings and didn't blink. He gave the lineup one more chance.
The Swing
Aaron Boone wasn't even supposed to be hitting. He'd entered the game as a pinch-runner for Enrique Wilson in the eighth. The guy the Yankees had acquired from Cincinnati on July 31 for Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning -- a depth move, nothing more -- stepped into the box to lead off the bottom of the 11th against Wakefield.
First pitch. Knuckleball. Boone turned on it and drove it into the left field seats. Gone. Stadium erupted. Boone rounded the bases with both arms raised, mobbed at home plate. Yankees 6, Red Sox 5. Pennant number 39.
It was only the second time in MLB history that a Game 7 of a postseason series ended on a walk-off home run. The first? Bill Mazeroski in the 1960 World Series -- also against the Yankees. (The baseball gods have a sick sense of humor.)
The Grady Little of It All
Let's be honest -- Boone's homer doesn't happen without Grady Little's stubbornness. Pedro had thrown over 100 pitches. He'd lost velocity. The bullpen was ready. And Little left him in because... I guess he trusted the guy? Boston fired Little after the season. He deserved it. Not because leaving your ace in is always wrong -- sometimes it works. But when you watch Matsui and Posada tee off on a gassed Pedro, and you had options sitting in the bullpen, that's a fireable offense.
Wakefield, by the way, had been brilliant throughout the series. He volunteered to pitch in relief in Game 7, and his knuckleball had been filthy. One bad pitch to the wrong guy. That's October for you.
What Came Next
Boone became a Yankees legend overnight. Then he tore his ACL playing pickup basketball that winter, missed the entire 2004 season, and the Yankees replaced him by trading for Alex Rodriguez. (You can't make this stuff up.) The Red Sox? They came back from 3-0 down in the 2004 ALCS and won their first World Series in 86 years. The universe course-corrected hard.
But that's next year's story. On October 16, 2003, none of that existed yet. There was just Boone, Wakefield, one knuckleball, and the left field seats.
| Final Score | Yankees 6, Red Sox 5 (11 inn.) |
| Series Result | Yankees win 4-3 |
| WP | Mariano Rivera (3 IP, 0 ER) |
| LP | Tim Wakefield |
| HR | Aaron Boone (walk-off, 11th inning) |
| Attendance | 56,279 |
Game 1: Red Sox 5, Yankees 2
Boston takes Game 1 at Yankee Stadium behind strong pitching. The home crowd leaves quiet.
Game 2: Yankees 6, Red Sox 2
The Yankees even the series with a comfortable win at home. Andy Pettitte settles things down.
Game 3: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
The series shifts to Fenway, and the Yankees take a 2-1 lead in a tight one.
Game 4: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2
Boston evens the series at Fenway. The back-and-forth continues.
Game 5: Yankees 4, Red Sox 2
The Yankees take a 3-2 series lead heading back to the Bronx. David Wells gets the win.
Game 6: Red Sox 9, Yankees 6
Boston forces a Game 7 with a blowout at Yankee Stadium. Buckle up.
Game 7: Yankees 6, Red Sox 5 (11 inn.)
Aaron Boone's walk-off homer off Tim Wakefield sends the Yankees to the World Series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who hit the walk-off home run in the 2003 ALCS?
Aaron Boone hit a walk-off home run off Tim Wakefield's knuckleball in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 on October 16, 2003, at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 6-5 to advance to the World Series against the Florida Marlins. Boone had entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning.
Why did Grady Little leave Pedro Martinez in Game 7?
Red Sox manager Grady Little left Pedro Martinez in the game in the eighth inning despite Pedro having thrown over 100 pitches and visibly losing velocity. The Yankees rallied to tie the game 5-5. Little was fired as Red Sox manager after the season, largely because of this decision.
What happened to Aaron Boone after the 2003 ALCS?
Boone tore his ACL playing pickup basketball during the offseason and missed the entire 2004 season. The Yankees voided his contract and traded for Alex Rodriguez to fill the hole at third base. Boone later returned to baseball and became the Yankees' manager in 2018.
Has anyone else ended a Game 7 with a walk-off home run?
Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off home run to end Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (Pirates vs. Yankees). Boone was only the second player in MLB history to end a postseason Game 7 with a walk-off homer.