Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of Derek Jeter‘s most memorable moments in pinstripes. A game was being played in The Bronx on July 1, 2004 between the Yankees and the Red Sox. The pitching match-up for the game was between Yankees rookie Brad Halsey, and the thorn in every Yankees fans side, Pedro Martinez.

Weather-wise, it was a gorgeous day in The Bronx. I had tickets to the 1st and 3rd games in this particular Yankees/Red Sox series. The rivalry between these two historic franchises was at a high. The Red Sox were 86 years from their last World Series championship. The frustration and aggression on the field between these two teams in 2004 was palpable. They Red Sox lost out on getting Alex Rodriguez in the offseason to the Yankees, and the Yanks seem knock them out of the playoffs every year… most recently at this point by Aaron Boone‘s walk-off game winner in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series.

My buddy and I arrived at Yankee Stadium unsure of what to expect. A young, inexperienced pitcher, facing one of the games all-time best at Yankee Stadium in July. We honestly were preparing for a Red Sox blowout. Little did we know, we were about to witness one of the greatest regular season games in Yankees history. Brad Halsey held the Red Sox in check throwing 5 1/3 IP, allowing 2 ER with 5 K’s. Pedro Martinez was good, but not great. He allowed 3 ER in 7 IP, striking out 8 and walking 3. Paul Quantrill would replace Halsey and give up 1 run in 1 1/3 IP to blow the save. This game was going to come down to who wanted it more.

For the Red Sox, Keith Foulke, Mike Timlin, and Alan Embree combined for 4 IP, 3 hits, and 2 walks. For the Yankees, Felix Heredia, Tom “Flash” Gordon, and Mariano Rivera combined for 4 1/3 IP, 2 hits, and 1 walk. Tanyon Sturtze was called upon by Joe Torre in the top of the 12th inning. With 2 outs in the 12th and Sturtze facing Trot Nixon, Nixon hits a pop-up in foul territory on the 3rd base side. The ball drifts more and more towards the stands. Derek Jeter, running in full sprint, catches the ball a step away from the stands and while in full sprint, he dives into the stands face first. A moment later, he emerges from the stands bloodied and beaten up from the hard plastic chairs. In my mind, this play, this play right here is the play the showed how Derek Jeter wear his pride on his sleeve. Not many athletes, then and now, would sacrifice their body the way Derek Jeter did this particular night.



Derek Jeter would leave the game after “The Dive”. For the rest of the game, Alex Rodriguez moved to shortstop, and Gary Sheffield played third base. In the top of the 13th inning with the score still tied 3-3, Manny Ramirez hit a solo home run, his 2nd HR of the game, to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. Sturtze would get out of the 13th inning without giving up any more runs. The bottom of the 13th looked like this. With Curtis Leskanic still pitching…

Yankees win. THHHHHEEEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN!

This wasn’t a playoff game. It wasn’t a game between two teams in late September vying for a playoff spot. This was a game played on the first day of July where two teams played their hearts out from start to finish.

Box Score for 07/01/2004

ESPN Recap for 07/01/2004

Besides Derek Jeter’s dive, what was your favorite moment from this game? Please leave your comments below, or tweet with me @brian_capozzi.