Yankees look to 2004 Red Sox for inspiration
Former New York Yankees player Bernie Williams throws out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of an American League Championship baseball series between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Credit: Seth Wenig
In the hours before beginning an extreme long shot postseason comeback attempt, the Yankees turned to a most surprising — and perhaps the most absurd — source of inspiration: the 2004 Red Sox.
No, seriously. The Yankees’ longtime mental-skills coach, Chad Bohling, circulated among players and coaches Sunday a highlight reel from that band of self-described Idiots, who are still the only team in baseball history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series — which is exactly what the Yankees are trying to do now in their ALCS against the Astros.
Who did the Red Sox beat on those four days in October? Oh yeah, the Yankees, who endured the most embarrassing collapse in franchise lore.
“Oh yeah, we watched that video today. Oh yeah,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We sent it off to all our coaches and got it out to our players and stuff. [The key] was just the belief that [those Red Sox] had. They had the confidence. You see [Kevin] Millar: ‘Don’t let us win one.’”
The Yankees trailed 3-0 in the series heading into a win-or-the-season-is-over Game 4, which was delayed until 8:30 p.m. Sunday night.
More time to scour video and boxscores from yesteryear, apparently.
“Obviously now, as far up against it as you can be, not in a great spot, but you can’t get ahead of yourselves either,” Boone said. “We just got to go out. It starts with the first inning, trying to win pitches and trying to ultimately win a game, at least put a little pressure on them and then start to see what can happen.”
Boone’s comments came after another ’04 Sox connection: a brief video call with Hall of Famer, playoff hero and noted Yankee killer David Ortiz, who had the game-winning hit in Game 4 and Game 5 that series.
ESPN broadcaster Eduardo Perez said he foisted that interaction upon Boone by calling Ortiz — who was in Philadelphia calling the NLCS for Fox — during a routine pregame meeting with Boone. Ortiz “had some advice” for the Yankees, Boone said, declining to elaborate.
“He’s like, ‘Man, you guys got to do what we did back then!’” Perez relayed. “And that’s how it was. I didn’t tell Boonie I was calling him. It was not even a minute.”
Boone, the Yankees’ hero of the 2003 ALCS with the walk-off home run in Game 7 against the Red Sox, was long gone by the time his old team completely blew it the next year. He tore the ACL in his left knee in January 2004, so the Yankees released him and traded for Alex Rodriguez as a replacement. Boone signed with Cleveland in June and still was working his way back from the injury by October as he watched — or didn’t watch — from home.
“Honestly, I don’t remember it that well,” Boone said.
But then he rattled off a bunch of the details: Millar’s declaration of “Don’t let us win tonight” before Game 4; Dave Roberts’ steal in the ninth inning of that game, when the Yankees were three outs from the World Series; Curt Schilling’s bloody sock effort in Game 6; Johnny Damon’s homer (and then his second homer) in Game 7.
“So maybe I do remember it a little better than I’m letting on,” Boone said.
What did the Yankees do the following spring? Hire Bohling, who initially held the title of “director of optimal performance,” which as of Sunday night the Yankees were still striving for.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
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