All of the Marlins applauded while popping flashbulbs lit up the park when the Rocket walked off after the seventh in what might have been his final appearance.
But there was still a lot of ball left. Pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra saved the Yankees with a
two-out, two-run triple in the ninth that tied it at 3. And it turned out the drama was just beginning once the clock passed midnight. At 12:28 a.m., Gonzalez hit a low line drive off Jeff Weaver that barely cleared the left-field wall for the win. Gonzalez had been only 5-for-53 this postseason.Weaver, the odd man out on the Yankees' staff for most of the season, began warming up in the first inning when Clemens gave up three runs. Weaver took over in the 11th in his first appearance since Sept. 24. Now with things all even, it goes to Game 5 on Thursday night. David Wells starts against Florida's Brad Penny in a rematch of the opener that the Marlins won 3-2.
Both teams threatened in extra innings, with Marlins reliever Braden Looper escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 11th and posting the victory.
The Yankees had won seven straight extra-inning games in the Series since 1964. The previous two were among the most stirring in their storied history, set up when Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius hit two-out, two-run homers in the bottom of the ninth on consecutive nights against Arizona's Byung-Hyun Kim in 2001. But the Marlins also knew a thing about late magic. Their last Series win at Pro Player was an 11-inning victory in Game 7 against Cleveland in 1997.
Shut down for eight innings by Carl Pavano, New York came back in the ninth against Ugueth Urbina.
Bernie Williams, who had four hits, singled with one out, Hideki Matsui walked and Jorge Posada grounded into a force play. David Dellucci came in to run for Posada, and Sierra fouled off two full-count pitches before tripling into the right-field corner.
All the elements were in place for Clemens' coronation as one of the all-time greats. His place in the Hall of Fame is already assured, and the Yankees hoped he could go out with a win that would put them one victory for yet another championship.
Miguel Cabrera, only 1 when Clemens made his major league debut in 1984, put the Marlins ahead with a two-out, two-run homer in the first. Florida had managed only two runs in the previous two games combined, and his fourth homer of this postseason gave the sellout crowd of 65,934 reason to believe.
Clemens gave up another run in the first, and ended the seventh by striking out Luis Castillo.Clemens' teammates patted him on the back as he made his way to the bench, waving his hand. The ovation continued and Clemens came out of the dugout to acknowledge the cheers from the Marlins, patting his heart and doffing his cap.
Catcher Ivan Rodriguez clapped his hands as did the other Marlins, and McKeon saluted Clemens from the dugout. It made for a rare scene - opponents saluting someone on the other bench during a game that meant so much.
Clemens got a no-decision, leaving him at 3-0 lifetime in the World Series. The 41-year-old ace was trying to become the first 300-game winner to win in the Series since Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1926.
David Wells will face off against Brad Penny tonight.
David Wells
Wells toes the rubber for the second time in the Fall Classic, looking for his third win of the postseason. Wells took the loss in Game 1, allowing three runs over seven innings while pitching against the Marlins on three days' rest. In four games, three of them starts, Wells is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA this postseason, holding opponents to a .229 batting average.
Brad Penny
After having his difficulties in the postseason, Penny showed signs of bouncing back in Game 1 of the World Series. Penny gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings and picked up the win. While not overpowering, he had three strikeouts and three walks. Penny has won two straight decisions in the postseason, including Game 7 of the NLCS. In that game, Penny tossed a scoreless inning of relief. The key with Penny is pitching smartly and not trying to blow 97 mph fastballs past hitters.