I missed the champagne spraying. We were out, invited to eat dinner in a hotel restaurant - the sort of thing I rarely do. But we have a grand time and when we got home the Sox were winning and Papelbon put it to bed - and the Yanks were up 9-6 against Baltimore. So I didn't pay any more attention. But then...the Yankees...decided to suck:

The Orioles, who are finishing their 10th consecutive losing season, battered Mussina for 6 runs and 11 hits in five innings. They still stood to lose because of Rodriguez, who reached 1,500 R.B.I. and 1,500 runs scored in the same game. But Rivera, who had allowed only one earned run over 15 1/3 innings in his last 15 games, allowed a leadoff single to Nick Markakis and hit Kevin Millar with one out in the ninth.

After Melvin Mora flied to right, Ramón Hernández singled to load the bases for Payton. In Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, when he played for the Mets, Payton sliced a ninth-inning homer against Rivera over the right-field fence at Yankee Stadium. This time, he lashed a triple to the wall in right center, clearing the bases to tie the score. "I just went out to get some work; it wasn’t good at all," Rivera said. "I missed a lot of pitches. But I’m fine. You have to move forward."