The Yankees had done their best to channel their ghosts. Bucky Dent, who homered to slay the Red Sox in 1978, threw the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi Berra. The game was played on Mickey Mantle's birthday. George Steinbrenner, the impatient principal owner, showed up in the clubhouse some six hours before the first pitch, apparently spreading good cheer.

"He was very supportive," Manager Joe Torre said.

The good feelings undoubtedly have passed. Steinbrenner will probably order a reconstruction of the team, which won 101 games during the regular season but folded when it mattered most.

"I want to congratulate the Boston team," Steinbrenner said at about 1:15 this morning when he was leaving the stadium. "They did very well. They have a great team."

General Manager Brian Cashman said after the game that Steinbrenner had given him no assurances of his job safety, but that he was not concerned. "I choose not to worry about stuff like that," he said.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who was 2 for 17 in the four losses, said: "This is obviously crushing for us."

Rodriguez was not the only Yankee to fall flat in the final four games. Gary Sheffield was 1 for 17, and Tony Clark was 3 for 19 as a replacement for John Olerud, who severely bruised a bone when he stepped on a bat in Game 3.

The only sight that seemed to perk up the Yankees last night was Pedro Martíinez, who gave up two runs in the seventh inning while trying to hold an 8-1 lead. The fans chanted, "Who's your daddy?," mocking Martíinez for his September admission that the Yankees owned him. But the Red Sox responded with runs in the last two innings off Tom Gordon.