Beckett would like throwback

It's not as if the Yankees, those who are left from Oct. 25, 2003, anyway, have particularly fond memories of that night. Because nothing, absolutely nothing, was working for them then. And the memories they do have revolve around Josh Beckett, the cause of their futility and their loss of the World Series.

Less than three years after that Series-clinching Game 6 in Yankee Stadium, when the Marlins picked up the second championship of their short existence, just five of the Yankees' starting nine that night still wear pinstripes. (Not quite as dramatic a changeover as, say, the Red Sox' since their '04 Series win, however.) They are Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, and Hideki Matsui, who, combined, went 2 for 18 against Beckett, the cocksure young righthander with the less-than-phenomenal resume.

Less-than-phenomenal, at least, until Game 6.

''For being so young at the time, [he had] great poise, had great stuff," Giambi recalled of Beckett's 2-0 complete-game win. ''I just remember everything was late, was explosive. He didn't make any mistakes either. He had great stuff. I just remember his mound presence. He had great mound presence for a kid that was 23, went out there and was dominating, and put it together."

It was a defining game for Beckett, who entered the game with a 17-17 career record. And, even though he went 2-2 in the postseason (a loss to San Francisco, a win over the Cubs, and a tough-luck loss to the Yankees in Game 3 of the Series), his Game 6 win and Series MVP trophy began his elevation to elite status.

Tonight, 13 days before his 26th birthday, Beckett, now with the Red Sox, again will face the Yankees. This time, though there will be far less at stake, it will be his introduction to the Sox-Yankees rivalry.

''I don't think he has changed that much," Williams said. ''They got him to play here for a reason, because of the stuff that he has, and he's probably going to gear up to play us. Hopefully we'll learn from the experience that we had back that day.

''I think the key for us is to get him to make a lot of pitches, get him to make 90 to 100 pitches in the first four to five innings, then I don't think he's going to be the same pitcher. If he's throwing strikes and has command of his stuff, there's not much you can do about that."

There certainly wasn't much the Yankees could do with him in Game 6. Beckett, pitching on three days rest, allowed five hits and two walks (and struck out nine) in a win that sent the Series trophy back to South Florida.

Alfonso Soriano, who had two hits in his three at-bats, had the only passable stats at the end of an evening in which no Yankee made it past second base. It was, simply, a performance for the ages, one that manager Joe Torre acknowledged was one of the more impressive outings in a pressure situation he has ever seen.

''He had a great presence on the mound that night, I think that's what stands out to me more than anything," Torre said before last night's game. ''He had a lot of confidence. The only thing he's had a problem with the last couple years is being able to stay out there and take the ball every five days, because he's had some physical problems. But he's a gamer and he's a winner and his stuff can be electric at times. There's no question.

''But Game 6, the way he came into Yankee Stadium and completely dominated us, that's probably one memory that is tough to lose."

Like Beckett gloving the ball and tagging Posada for the final out of the Series.

So they will see him again, a newcomer to this rivalry between two teams with more history than the Marlins ever will have. Though, if at least one of those Series victims had his wish, Beckett would have been here in road grays.

''We were hoping that we would get him," Williams said. ''I think any team in the major leagues would have been, obviously, a lot better with him on the staff.

''I'm not quite sure why we didn't get him. We usually get everybody."