 10/18/2003 11:51 PM ET
WS Score Tracker: Game 1
TOP 1st: FLA 1, NYY 0: The Marlins literally hit the ground running in the opener of the 2003 World Series against the Yankees. On the game's second pitch,
Florida's speedy center fielder Juan Pierre dropped a bunt single to the right side.
Two pitches and two pickoff attempts later, he wheeled all the way to third when Luis Castillo looped a shallow single just out of the reach of Yankees
first baseman Nick Johnson. Marlins catcher Ivan Rodriguez then brought home Pierre
with a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Marlins a one-run lead over New York
starter David Wells just five pitches into the series. The 41-year-old lefty got an
infield fly for the second out and showed some veteran savvy after Castillo swiped
second by striking out Derrek Lee to escape the frame without further trouble.
BOT 3rd: FLA 1, NYY 1: It didn't take long for the Yankees to answer with a run
of their own. Karim Garcia started things by flaring a single into left field against
Florida starter Brad Penny. Marlins left fielder Miguel Cabrera got a late break and was charged with an error as he fumbled the ball on one hop during a
slide, allowing Garcia to take second. Penny followed with a five-pitch walk to
Johnson before Derek Jeter ripped a game-tying RBI single into center field. With
runners at the corners, Penny gave himself a chance to escape the inning when he got
Bernie Williams to lift a shallow fly into left. Thanks to Rodriguez, that was the
final out Penny had to get. Three pitches later, the Marlins catcher hooked up with
third baseman Mike Lowell to pick off Johnson at third with Hideki Matsui at the
plate.
TOP 5th: FLA 3, NYY 1: Florida played some small ball to retake the lead in the
fifth. Designated hitter Jeff Conine started the rally with a leadoff walk and took
second when Juan Encarnacion singled to right. Marlins manager Jack McKeon then had
his team utilize something the Yankees haven't seen much of this postseason -- a
sacrifice bunt. Florida shortstop Alex Gonzalez moved both runners into scoring
position with a perfectly placed sacrifice at Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone. That
brought Pierre to the plate with one out. New York manager Joe Torre decided to bring
his infield in to guard against Pierre's speed while setting up a possible play at the
plate. Pierre slapped an opposite-field single through the left side. Conine came home
easily and the Marlins decided to test Matsui's arm by sending Encarnacion from
second. Matsui's throw appeared to be on target and in time, but Boone cut off the
throw much to the dismay of his starting pitcher.
BOT 6th: FLA 3, NYY 2: After watching the Marlins' station-to-station style in
the fifth, Williams used a more traditional American League method to make it a
one-run game in the sixth. After Jeter's groundout, the Yankees' center fielder belted
Penny's second offering into the right-center field bleachers for his first home run
of this postseason. Matsui followed with his second single to right to end the night
for Penny. McKeon chose to go with rookie southpaw Dontrelle Willis against Posada
even though the switch-hitting catcher had hit .295 from the right side, as opposed to
.276 from the left, during the regular season. The move worked. Posada grounded into a forceout, but
swiped second base to put the tying run in scoring position for Jason Giambi. The
Marlins' rookie phenom went to a full count against the Yankees' slugger, but got out
of the inning when Gonzalez made a nifty barehanded play to throw out Giambi on a
broken-bat, one-hopper up the middle.
BOT 8th: FLA 3, NYY 2: No scoring, but New York did have a chance to draw
even. Willis had mowed down the Yankees in order in the seventh inning, and appeared
poised to do the same in the eighth before back-to-back, two-out singles from Williams
and Matsui forced his exit. McKeon again changed pitchers with Posada at the plate,
and once again it worked. Well-traveled right-hander Ugueth Urbina came in from the
Florida bullpen to end the New York scoring threat with a five-pitch strikeout.
BOT 9th: FLA 3, NYY 2: Things didn't go quite as smoothly for Urbina in the
next frame. He started the inning with a five-pitch walk to Giambi, who gave way to
pinch-runner David Dellucci, but got Boone to fly out to shallow right field after the
Yankee hitter failed to get down a sacrifice bunt. Ruben Sierra, who had entered the
game to pinch-hit for Juan Rivera, moved the winning run into scoring position by
drawing another walk. The next hitter, Alfonso Soriano, worked the count full before
taking a called third strike. With just one out to spare, Johnson had a chance to make up for getting picked
off earlier in the game, but Urbina induced a shallow flyout to Pierre in center to
earn the save and give the Marlins a Game 1 victory.
Todd Lorenz is an editorial
producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League
Baseball or its clubs.
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