NEW YORK - David Ortiz finally got some help, as Mark Bellhorn hit a big home run in Game 6 and Johnny Damon hit two in the decisive Game 7.
But Ortiz still was the Most Valuable Player.
Ortiz won Game 4 with a two-run walkoff homer in the 12th inning, helped the Red Sox tie Game 5 with an eighth-inning homer and won it with a walkoff single in the 14th, and gave them the lead in Game 7 with a two-run homer in the first.
For the series, the DH hit .387 (12-for-31) with three homer and 11 RBIs. And he lived up to his nickname as Big Papi.
"Who's your Papi, New York," Boston's Kevin Millar said.
Ortiz has actually had quite a month. He won the clinching game of the division series against Anaheim with a two-run walkoff homer in the 10th inning.
He is the first player to have two walkoff homers in the same postseason. The only other player with two at any time is Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams.
PRO-STYLE OFFENSE: Alex Rodriguez considers himself the ultimate professional. But several Red Sox called him "unprofessional" after his play at a critical moment in Tuesday's Game 6, when he committed interference by swatting the ball out of Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo's glove.
"What he did was completely unprofessional, and really hurt his team," Millar said. "It was an unprofessional play and he knows that. He has to brush his teeth and look at himself in the mirror in the morning. ... If you want to play football, strap on some pads and go play for the Green Bay Packers."
Roriguez violated the rule the prohibits a runner from using "his hands or arms to commit an obviously malicious or unsportsmanlike act such as ... intentionally slapping at the baseball."
FAST HEALER: Tuesday, Yankees manager Joe Torre said first baseman John Olerud was out for at least the rest of the series with a bruised left instep. But Wednesday, Olerud returned to the field, pinch-hitting (and striking out) in the seventh and playing the rest of the game at first.
MEN IN BLUE: Having police in riot gear file through the dugouts during Tuesday's game and line the dugouts created some interesting situations. "I actually had to tell one policeman, "Can you relay the hit-and-run (sign) to the third-base coach because you're right in my way?' " Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
FOR STARTERS: The Yankees decided on veteran Kevin Brown for Game 7, citing his experience and ignoring his poor performance in Game 3 in picking him over Javier Vazquez and Orlando Hernandez. Brown didn't get out of the second inning, allowing six of the nine batters he faced to reach. ... Boston's decision to go with Derek Lowe rather than knuckleballer Tim Wakefield worked out pretty well, as Lowe allowed one hit over six innings.
MISCELLANY: The Yankees reached into their glorious past, trotting out Yogi Berra to catch the first pitch and Bucky Dent, who hit the famous homer to beat the Red Sox in 1978 playoff game, to throw it. ... Lightning stars Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards, with not much else to do, were guests in George Steinbrenner's box. ... Williams' Tuesday home run was his 10th in LCS play, breaking a tie with George Brett. ... Pedro Martinez joined the Sox in New York after spending Tuesday in Boston working with therapists to help his arm recover from Monday's start; he pitched the seventh.
