2003 Yankees

The 2003 New York Yankees went 101-61 and won their sixth pennant in eight years -- then lost the World Series to a Wild Card Florida Marlins team with one-third of the payroll. I'm still not over it. This was a 101-win squad with four starters who won 15 or more games, five guys who hit 16-plus homers, and Mariano Rivera posting a 1.66 ERA out of the bullpen. They beat Boston in one of the greatest ALCS ever played, and then got shut down by a 23-year-old named Josh Beckett in Game 6. Baseball is cruel like that.

But before we get to October's gut punch, let's talk about everything that made this team so freakin' good -- and the offseason move that gave the franchise a nickname it'll never shake.

The Evil Empire Is Born

The Yankees signed Cuban defector Jose Contreras on December 26, 2002 -- a four-year, $32 million deal that beat out the Red Sox and several other teams. Boston's president Larry Lucchino responded with a quote that stuck forever: "The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America." And just like that, the Yankees had a brand-new identity. (George Steinbrenner reportedly loved it. Of course he did.)

The same offseason brought Hideki Matsui from Japan's Yomiuri Giants. The Yankees weren't just spending -- they were going global.

The Rotation Was Loaded

Andy Pettitte went 21-8 with a 4.02 ERA. Roger Clemens -- at 40 years old -- went 17-9 with a 3.91 ERA. (The Rocket was powered by rage and whatever else was in that trainer's room.) Mike Mussina posted 17 wins and led the staff with a 3.40 ERA and 195 strikeouts. David Wells went 15-7 because that's what Boomer did -- show up overweight, pitch well, and drive everyone crazy in between starts.

Contreras went 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA in his rookie campaign, including a 6-1 record and 2.34 ERA as a starter. The depth was stupid. Mo locked the door with 40 saves and that ridiculous 1.66 ERA.

Five Guys Who Could Hurt You

Jason Giambi crushed 41 homers and drove in 107 runs. Alfonso Soriano joined the 30-30 club for the second straight year with 38 homers and 35 steals. Jorge Posada had a career year -- .281, 30 homers, 101 RBI -- tying Yogi Berra's record for most homers by a Yankees catcher. Matsui hit .287 with 16 homers and 106 RBI in his first MLB season. (The man played 163 games as a rookie. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE.)

Bernie Williams was limited to 119 games and hit .263 with 15 homers -- a down year by his standards but still a presence in that lineup.

The Captain Gets His Title

Derek Jeter dislocated his left shoulder on Opening Day when Toronto catcher Ken Huckaby fell into him at third base. He missed 36 games, came back, and hit .324 in 119 games with 10 homers and 52 RBI. On June 3, Steinbrenner named him captain -- the first Yankee to hold the title since Don Mattingly retired after 1995. Eight years without a captain, and then Jeter. Felt right.

Sweeping Past Minnesota

The ALDS against the Minnesota Twins lasted four games. The Twins stole Game 1 at the Stadium, 3-1. The Yankees won the next three -- 4-1, 3-1, and 8-1 -- and moved on without much fuss. Clean, efficient, and exactly what a 101-win team should do against a team they were better than.

Seven Games of Chaos in the ALCS

The 2003 ALCS against Boston was a war. Seven games. Pedro Martinez. Grady Little's decision to leave Pedro in Game 7. Aaron Boone's walk-off homer into the left field seats off Tim Wakefield's knuckleball in the bottom of the 11th. I've written about that game separately because it deserves its own space to breathe. It was the greatest single moment of the rivalry's modern era -- at least until Boston ruined everything the following October.

The Fall Classic That Fell Apart

The World Series against the Marlins should've been a coronation. Yankees payroll: $164 million. Marlins payroll: $54 million. Florida was a Wild Card team managed by 72-year-old Jack McKeon. On paper, this was a mismatch.

The Marlins didn't read the paper. They won Game 1, 3-2. The Yankees took Games 2 and 3 (both 6-1 -- identical scores, which is kind of weird). Then came Game 4 -- Alex Gonzalez hit a walk-off homer off Jeff Weaver in the 12th, and the series was knotted 2-2. Florida won Game 5, 6-4. And in Game 6, Beckett pitched a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts, and the Marlins closed it out 2-0 at the Stadium. Beckett was 23 and threw like he didn't know he was supposed to be nervous.

Series over. No ring. A 101-win season that ended watching someone else celebrate on your field.

Key Moments

The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Yankees win the 2003 World Series?

No. The Yankees lost to the Florida Marlins 4 games to 2. Josh Beckett pitched a five-hit shutout in Game 6 to clinch the championship at Yankee Stadium. Beckett was named World Series MVP at age 23. The Yankees didn't return to the Fall Classic until 2009.

What was the Yankees' record in 2003?

The 2003 Yankees went 101-61, finishing first in the AL East by 6 games over the Boston Red Sox. They scored 877 runs and allowed 716, won the ALDS over Minnesota in four games, and beat Boston in seven games in the ALCS before losing the World Series.

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 clinch their sixth pennant in eight years.

Where did the 'Evil Empire' nickname come from?

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino coined the phrase in late December 2002 after the Yankees signed Cuban defector Jose Contreras to a four-year, $32 million deal, beating out Boston. Lucchino said, "The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America." The Star Wars reference stuck permanently.