In The Box

April 13

Red Sox 3, Yankees 2

Most Greek tragedies turn on a hero's hubris, and this episode of the Boston-New York rivalry—baseball's Oresteia—was no different. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had a 2-1 lead in the 10th; the Red Sox had men on first and second with two outs and Manny Ramirez at the plate. Rivera's first pitch was a passed ball that moved the runners up and left first base open for an intentional walk. Though Ramirez, a righthanded hitter, was 0 for 12 lifetime against the righty Rivera, he's an RBI machine. On deck was Troy O'Leary, a lefthanded hitter but a far less potent run producer.

Rivera, however, chose to pitch to Ramirez. The law of averages trumped Rivera's overweaning pride: Two pitches later Ramirez smashed a fastball for a game-winning two-run single.