On This Date in 2003

Aaron Boone wrote his name into Yankees lore. His 11th inning homer off Tim Wakefield won the seventh and deciding game of the ALCS wrote the Bronx Bombers' ticket to their 39th World Series.

 He was far from alone in his heroics: Trailing the Red Sox 5-2, the Yanks scored three in the eighth off Pedro Martinez to tie the game. Mike Mussina, making the relief appearance of his career, bailed out an ineffective Roger Clemens and keeps the Sox off the Board. Series MVP Mariano Rivera's three shutout innings of relief kept the game tie until Boone's laser to left field produced one of the last classic moments at the original Yankee Stadium.

 Boone became the fifth player to end a postseason series with a homer joining Bill Mazeroski (1960 World Series), Chris Chambliss (1976 ALCS), Joe Carter (1993 World Series) and Todd Pratt (1999 NLDS). 

Also timestamped October 16th:

2000: Mike Hampton throws a three-hit shuout as the Mets close out the Carinals in the NLCS and advance to the first modern-era Subway Series against the Yankees.

1969: Jerry Koosman fires a five-hit shutout as the Mets take their fourth straight game over the Orioles and become the first expansion team to win the World Series.

1962: The Yankees win their 20th World Series, in a classic game-seven thriller. Ralph Terry gets Willie McCovey to line out to 2nd baseman Bobby Richardson with runners at 2nd and 3rd bases in the last of the 9th inning -- the final out of a 1-0 complete game shutout. (And quite a turnaround for Terry, who surrendered Bill Mazeroski's historic 1960 World Series clinching walkoff just two years before.)

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