NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees were the famous team in this series. They were the team with the glamour, the riches, the stars.
But the Cleveland Indians were the best team in this series, the team that represents a city that would treasure a championship, as opposed to a team with an owner that considers it a birthright.
Winter came early for George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' owner. He grew up in Cleveland, a city awaiting its first World Series parade since 1948.
"This city needs the championship," Cleveland outfielder Kenny Lofton said.
The Indians dismissed the Yankees from the playoffs Monday, with Grady Sizemore leading off the game with a home run and Cleveland rolling to a 6-4 victory at Yankee Stadium. The Indians whipped the Yankees in four games and advanced to face the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, starting Friday at Fenway Park.
"This," Sizemore said, "is what you dream of."
Said Paul Byrd, the starting and winning pitcher: "We'll study Boston and figure all that out later, but nothing is tougher than coming into Yankee Stadium and pulling this off."
The Yankees lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They hit .228 in the series, and posted an earned-run average of 5.89. The Indians hit .315, with an ERA of 3.41.
Cleveland scored all six runs Monday in the first four innings, then sweated out the final innings. They led, 6-1, after five innings, but Robinson Cano hit a solo home run in the sixth and Alex Rodriguez hit one in the seventh, for Rodriguez his first home run -- and run batted in -- over 57 postseason at-bats dating to 2004.
With one out in the ninth, Bobby Abreu hit a solo home run, making it 6-4, as close as the Yankees had been since the first inning, but Rodriguez flied out and Jorge Posada struck out.
As the Indians hopped deliriously around the field, the Yankees stared from their dugout, in apparent disbelief. They probably won't be together again.
Rodriguez, the MVP in waiting, can leave if he wants. Roger Clemens, the Hall of Famer in waiting, can leave if he wants. So can Mariano Rivera, the legendary closer, and Posada, the sturdy catcher.
And Joe Torre, the manager, could be fired. He has led the Yankees to the playoffs in each of his 12 years, and he has won four World Series championships, but the last was in 2000 and Steinbrenner is impatient for another.
