IS IT WARM IN HERE?

Bottom of the Seventh

Orosco stays on to face Todd Walker, who skies a fly ball off the end of his bat to shallow center field. Jeter goes back, and Bernie comes in and makes a semi-basket catch. One out. That’s the old Bernie slickness. He always looks like he’s half lucky to have made the catch, and confident that he had it all along. That’s it for Jesse. Here it is: here comes Armando. I can hear the Mets fans licking their chops around the city.

Armando is in, and he gets Nomar to ground out to Jeter, 6-3. Two outs. Manny’s second chance for redemption. This is the Beef factory, baby. 97 mph heater is fouled off, 0-1. Another heater, another great swing, fouled back. Oh, man. Manny is not getting cheated. He’s also not mising by much. Pressure? Fastball, high and away, 1-2. Another heater, low and outside, 2-2. Awww, nutzo. Calm down, big guy. Manny skies a fly ball to Bernie in center who makes the out to end the frame.

Top of the Eighth

Posada leads off. Mike Timlin is in to pitch for Boston. He strikes Jorgie out swinging. Johnson taps out to Nomar, 6-3. Mondesi flies to left. Easy inning for Boston.

Bottom of the Eighth

Was it Ed Cossette who said Millar would be the first Sox to go deep on Armando? He has his chance to lead off the eighth. The crowd is stirring, waiting anxiously to cheer about something. Armando k’s Millar on a 2-2 heater, outside corner. John Blaze. One out. Armando falls behind David Ortiz, 2-0. Ortiz lines a single to right. Damian Jackson is in to run for Ortiz.

Bill Mueller looks at a ball, low. Jackson steals second, ball two. This will be Armando’s last batter if he can’t get Walker out. Posada made the throw from his knees. But Mueller pops the next pitch up to Enrique Wilson in short left field for the second out.

Do you pull Armando? Trot Nixon is due up. Perfect Yankee killer. First pitch is a splitter, low for a ball. The crowd is still cautious in between pitches. The next pitch gets away from Posada. The pitch had a lot of movement on it and it crossed Posada up. Jorge should have had it. He got the fastball, but was expecting the splitter. Jackson moves to third, 2-0.

Here comes Torre to get him and here comes Mo. Elvis Costello, not Metallica, play as Rivera warms up. His first pitch to Nixon is a cutter, inside for ball three. Next pitch, a fastball, right down the middle. 3-1 pitch, way inside, ball four. It’s up to the catcher, Varitek.

Cutter on the inside corner, Varitek can’t check his swing, 0-1. Another cutting, in on the hands, dribbled foul. 0-2. Cutter fisted over Jeter’s head into left for a game-tying single. Good piece of hitting by Varitek. Sox 3, Yanks 3.

Damon looks at a ball, high and outside. First and third, 2 out. Cutter misses inside, 2-0. The next pitch drops in on the outside corner for a strike, 2-1. Damon fouls the next pitch off his foot. Cutter inside, tipped, and caught. Strike 3.

It all comes down to the ninth.