BOSTON -- The pitching battle for the ages lived up to its billing. And not just because Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez were on the mound.
In a game that featured brawls, brushbacks and plenty of bad blood, Clemens pitched the New York Yankees past the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, on Saturday for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven AL championship series.
Martinez threw 72-year-old coach Don Zimmer to the ground during a fourth-inning melee after Manny Ramirez was angered by a high pitch from Clemens. The Rocket, however, never got flustered in his Fenway Park farewell.
"We've upgraded from a battle to a war," Boston manager Grady Little said.
Derek Jeter hit a tying homer to help the Yankees overcome a 2-0 first-inning deficit, and Hideki Matsui had a go-ahead double for New York.
"It was huge, especially playing here," Jeter said. "This won't mean anything unless we come out tomorrow and win."
David Wells pitches for New York in Game 4 today, opposed by John Burkett.
"We're to play baseball, that's first and foremost in our minds," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We win two more games and we get to go to the World Series."
Yesterday's game was billed as a heavyweight matchup between two pitchers who have won a total of nine Cy Young Awards, and the fighting began just after Matsui's RBI double put New York ahead 3-2.
Martinez's next pitch was behind Karim Garcia's head, and plate umpire Alfonso Marquez ruled that it nicked Garcia's back before hitting his bat. Marquez issued a warning to both dugouts about throwing inside. Torre thought Martinez deliberately threw at Garcia.
"That's no mistake in my mind," Torre said. "You can't sit around and say, 'OK, do what you want.' "
Little's take was different.
"Pedro never takes a shot at someone's head like that," he said.
Alfonso Soriano then came up with the bases loaded and no outs, and he grounded to shortstop, with Boston turning a double play as Nick Johnson scored from third.
Garcia slid hard, knocking down second baseman Todd Walker. The two began shoving each other, and both teams slowly came out of the dugouts, yelling. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, Clemens and Zimmer were among the loudest.
When play resumed, Enrique Wilson popped out, ending the inning.
Two umpires pulled Clemens aside as he went to the mound for the bottom of the inning.
With the count 1-2 to Ramirez leading off, Clemens threw a high pitch, at the level of Ramirez's head, but not far inside. Ramirez bailed before the pitch even reached the plate, raised his bat slightly and shouted at Clemens, who yelled back.
Both dugouts and bullpens emptied, with Zimmer coming all the way across the infield to the first-base side. The coach headed for the 31-year-old Martinez and lunged at him. Martinez sidestepped him, grabbed him by the head with both hands and tossed him to the ground. Zimmer landed face down and rolled over on his back.
"I think Zim's a little old for that," Little said.
Zimmer remained on the ground and Yankees trainer Gene Monahan treated the coach for what appeared to be a cut on his head. Sitting in the dugout, Zimmer had a small bandage on the bridge of his nose. Later, he was smiling and laughing.
Zimmer, the Red Sox manager when they lost the famous 1978 AL East playoff to the Yankees, has a plate in his head, the result of a beaning in 1953. He is in his 54th season in professional baseball.
After a 10-minute delay following the fight, Ramirez struck out on the next pitch.
To keep the crowd calm, the baseball commissioner's office and the Red Sox immediately cut off beer sales in the ballpark.
But the fighting wasn't over.
There was a skirmish in the Yankees' bullpen in the middle of the ninth inning, one that appeared to involve a member of the Boston grounds crew. Garcia, New York's right fielder, cut his hand and was replaced by Juan Rivera.
Both pitchers are known for intimidation. Clemens hit Mets star Mike Piazza in the head with a pitch three years ago, then threw the jagged barrel of a shattered bat toward him during the World Series. Clemens hit Boston's Kevin Millar with a pitch July 5, and two days later Martinez hit Jeter and Soriano.
Martinez wasn't as dominant as usual yesterday, throwing far more curveballs than normal -- this coming off two tough outings in the first round, when he threw a season-high 130 pitches in the opener against Oakland and 100 in Game 5.
Appearing fired up after the fight, he retired his final nine batters. But he still lost for the first time in the postseason, dropping to 4-1.
Neither Clemens nor Martinez lasted to the end. Clemens allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one. Just two of the hits came after the first.
Martinez gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one.
