It should’ve been the cap on a magical postseason run. The 2003 New York Yankees had just staged an epic comeback in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, propelled into the World Series by Aaron Boone’s instant-classic 11th inning walk-off home run. All that remained was to beat the upstart Florida Marlins, who needed a Steve Bartman assist to punch their ticket to the Fall Classic.
So what went wrong? How did a seeming inevitability turn into a frustrating disappointment?
One common narrative is that the Yankees took their foot off the pedal, looking past the Marlins toward a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.