The Yankee right-hander grooved an 0-and-2 pitch to Varitek, who drove it deep into the right-field seats for a two-run homer, trimming the lead to 8-5 and ending a drought in which the Red Sox catcher was 0 for 36 in Yankee Stadium this season. By the eighth, the Red Sox were within one run.
"It took, what, 20 minutes to go from a perfect game to an 8-7 game?" Jeter said. "Nothing surprises me when these teams play. There's no shortage of drama. They can score a lot of runs, just like we can."
No one figured the Yankees would score so many runs off of Schilling, though. The veteran right-hander with the 6-1 postseason record and 1.74 ERA was supposed to be the ace that would finally propel the Red Sox past the Yankees.
But before he recorded his seventh out Tuesday, Schilling gave up more runs (five) than he did in the entire 2001 World Series (four), when he threw 21 1/3 innings in three starts for Arizona against New York.
Matsui's run-scoring double keyed a two-run first, and his three-run double highlighted a four-run third. Matsui also followed Kenny Lofton's solo homer in the sixth with a run-scoring single, as the Yankees scored two huge insurance runs.
Schilling lasted three innings, was charged with six runs and six hits, and said his injured right ankle hindered his ability to push off the rubber and command his fastball. If the ankle doesn't improve, Schilling said he "won't take the ball again" in this series.
A sobering thought for Red Sox Nation.
Almost as sobering as the sight of Mariano Rivera in the late innings with a lead.
"I don't think I trust anybody more than I trust Mariano," Torre said. "He's special. No question."
