BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- One of the most riveting series in recent history concludes on Thursday when the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on play Game Seven of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium.
Thursday will mark the first seventh game of a postseason series at Yankee Stadium since the 1957 World Series when Lew Burdette pitched a seven-hitter in leading the Milwaukee Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Yankees.
This will be the first decisive game in the Bronx since the Yankees posted a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the 2001 Division Series.
"It's Game Seven," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "Game Seven, there's more important things than stuff that shouldn't be on the sports page. I mean, we know we have our work cut out for us and I'm sure they do, too. You hope it's a clean game and one team wins, as opposed to somebody having to live with a mistake, an error or something like that. I don't know of any two clubs that are more evenly matched than we are. It comes down to seven."
Boston is playing its first seventh game since losing to the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series, its last trip to the Fall Classic. The Red Sox also won Game Seven of the ALCS that year against the California Angels.
The pitching matchup in the seventh game features six-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens (2-0, 2.08 ERA) and three-time winner Pedro Martinez (1-1, 4.29). Clemens, who pitched for Boston from 1984-96, will be making the final start of his career for New York if he loses.
"This is for a chance to go to the World Series," New York shortstop Derek Jeter said. "We really shouldn't expect anything less. Everyone dreams of playing in Game Seven. Pedro and Rocket, it should be a good game."
Clemens, who owns 310 career wins, outpitched Martinez in New York's controversial 4-3 victory in Game Three on Saturday. Clemens yielded a pair of runs and five hits in six innings. Martinez surrendered four runs and six hits in seven innings. The righthander is 8-6 lifetime in the postseason.
"I expect Pedro to compete like he always does. I expect Roger to do the same," Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said. "We need to come ready to play."
Martinez was also involved in Game Three's major controversy after he drilled Karim Garcia in the fourth inning. After Clemens threw a high fastball to Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the inning, Ramirez took umbrage and stalked toward the mound with his bat in hand. As both benches emptied, Martinez threw 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground.
Martinez, Ramirez, Zimmer and Garcia all were fined for the incident.
Clemens went 0-3 with a 12.56 ERA in three starts at home against the Red Sox this year, failing to get out of the sixth inning in each of those outings. However, he is 6-0 with a 2.04 ERA in his last six starts.
Martinez suffered his first career postseason loss. He is 6-3 lifetime with a 2.49 ERA in 12 career starts at Yankee Stadium. New York is 4-1 this season in games started by the righthander this year.
"We'll have to grind like we do against Pedro," Torre said. "We've had some success against the Red Sox when Pedro has pitched, basically because we try to make him work. And we'll see."
Torre is expected to use a similar lineup to the one he employed in Game Three in which Enrique Wilson started for struggling Aaron Boone at third base. Wilson was hitless in four at-bats against Martinez after getting 10 hits in his first 20 career at-bats against his Dominican countryman.
This will be the 26th matchup of the year between the teams with New York winning 13 of the first 25. It will be played 25 years after New York's 5-4 victory in a one-game playoff at Fenway Park that clinched the AL East Division.
Johnny Damon's bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning capped a three-run rally as Boston sent the series to the distance with a 9-6 victory on Wednesday. Nomar Garciaparra had four hits to break out of a 2-for-19 slump.
"I feel like our momentum is going to be there tomorrow," Damon said. "We feel like we're going to win the game tomorrow."
The Yankees are trying to avoid losing Games Six and Seven of a postseason at home for the first time since the 1926 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Struggling Jason Giambi hit his first homer of the postseason, but was hitless in his other four at-bats. Giambi is hitting just .190 (4-for-21) in the series.
"He's struggling right now," Torre said. "There's no place that we are trying to hide. He's going to be in there tomorrow and hopefully the results are the same - better; not the same. He's a pro. He's a pro. But it doesn't keep you from trying a little bit too hard."
The winner will host the National League champion Florida Marlins in the World Series that begins on Saturday.
