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The 2003 American League Championship Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees from October 8 to October 16, 2003. The Yankees won the series 4 games to 3 to advance to the World Series. This series delivered yet another blow to Red Sox fans' hopes of winning a World Series for the first time since 1918. The series seemed evenly matched, with the lead being held first by the Red Sox, then by the Yankees. The Sox forced the series to a full seven games, with the seventh game setting another major league record for the rivalry between the two teams: it marked the first time two major league teams have played more than 25 games against each other over the course of a single season. The Red Sox also set an ALCS record with 12 home runs in the series.

Managers: Joe Torre (New York), Grady Little (Boston)

Umpires: Tim McClelland, Derryl Cousins, Joe West, Angel Hernandez, Terry Craft, Alfonso Marquez

Series MVP: Mariano Rivera, New York

Television FOX: Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and special guest in the booth Bret Boone

Game 1, October 8
Game 1 featured the Red Sox' knuckleballer Tim Wakefield against Yankees starter Mike Mussina in New York. After a scoreless first three innings, it turned into a start Mussina would soon rather forget - he allowed three Boston home runs into the right field porch at Yankee Stadium (hit by Todd Walker, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramírez) to dig his team into a 4-0 hole, a lead that would prove insurmountable. Walker's home run was originally ruled a foul ball by right field umpire Angel Hernandez, but his call was overruled by home plate umpire Tim McClelland. It was the first time in Mussina's postseason career he had given up three home runs in a playoff game.

Wakefield pitched into the seventh inning, allowing just three hits (two by Jorge Posada) and two runs. Alan Embree, Mike Timlin, and closer Scott Williamson retired the final nine Yankee batters to secure the victory and set Boston up in the series, 1-0, with game 2 the next night.

Game 2, October 9
The pitching matchup for game 2 was Boston's Derek Lowe and New York's Andy Pettitte. After loading the bases in the first inning without pushing a run across, Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek doubled to lead off the second, and advanced to third on a single by Trot Nixon. Damian Jackson followed with an RBI single up the middle to plate the first run of the game. Boston was unable to score another run, however, as Gape Kapler grounded into a double play and Bill Mueller grounded out to end the threat.

The Yankees would respond in the bottom of the inning. With one out and Posada on first, Nick Johnson blasted a 2-run home run to right to get his team a 2-1 lead. In the third inning, Bernie Williams drove in a run with an RBI single, and in the fifth, Hideki Matsui did likewise to push the Yankees' lead to 4-1.

Mueller singled with two outs in the seventh to start a rally, signaling the end of Pettitte's night, but José Contreras entered and got shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to pop up to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Posada rounded out the Yankee's offense on the night with a two-run double to left-center off Sox lefty Scott Sauerbeck. Contreras and retired the heart of the Boston lineup in the eighth, and closer Mariano Rivera put the nails in the coffin, working a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.

Game 3, October 11
The series travelled to Fenway Park for game 3, with the Red Sox having wrested home-field advantage away from the Yankees and sending their ace, Pedro Martínez, to the mound against his counterpart Roger Clemens. Johnny Damon, in his first game back after recovering from a concussion from a violent collision with teammate Damian Jackson, led off the game with an infield single. Todd Walker advanced him to third with a double off the Green Monster, and Manny Ramírez drove both in with a two-run single to left.

The Yankees didn't back down trailing 2-0 early, however, as Jorge Posada led off the top of the second with a double to left-center, and Karim Garcia drove him in with a 2-out single to cut the deficit to one. Derek Jeter would even it up on one swing in the top of the third, drilling a home run over the Monster.

In the top of the fourth, the emotional rivalry began to spiral out of control. With runners at first and third and nobody out, Hideki Matsui doubled home Posada to give the New York a 3-2 lead. On the next pitch, Martinez hit Garcia in the back, forcing hoem plate umpire Alfonso Marquez to restrain Garcia to prevent a brawl. Warnings were then issued to both benches. Alfonso Soriano grounded into a double play, scoring Nick Johnson from third, with Garcia sliding hard into Walker at second base.

Manny Ramírez led off the bottom of the inning, and Clemens threw the 1-2 pitch high but over the inside part of the plate, abrading the tempermental Ramirez, who had to be constrained by teammate David Ortiz. Both benches cleared. In the fracas, Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer aggressively charged towards Martinez, who held his hands out in self-defense and threw the 72-year-old Zimmer to the ground. The fight caused a 13-minute delay, and increased police presence thereafter.

Clemens retired the next six batters in order until Damon led off the sixth with a single and the aptly-named Walker drew a walk, but Nomar Garciaparra struck out on three pitches and Ramirez grounded into a double play to keep the game 4-3. Mariano Rivera pitched two perfect innings for his second save of the series.

The Red Sox held a 5-2 lead in Game 7, behind Martinez. Sox manager Grady Little left Martinez in for the 8th inning, despite signs of Martinez tiring, and having two strong relievers - Scott Williamson and Mike Timlin - in the bullpen. Martinez collapsed, and the Yankees tied the game at 5-5. The Yankees then won it in the 11th inning behind a solo home run by announcer Bret Boone's brother Aaron Boone to advance to the World Series.

The loss was crushing for Red Sox fans, who widely blamed Little for leaving Martinez in when indications suggested he should be removed, and he hadn't pitched effectively beyond 100 pitches. Little defended his move by saying that he felt a tired Martinez was a better option than anyone else on the team. Little's contract as Sox manager was set to expire, and management chose not to renew it for the following year; he was replaced by Terry Francona.

Until the final game of the pennant race, some baseball fans had been hoping for a rematch of the 1918 World Series: a showdown between the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, one of only two major league teams to have played for a longer period of time since winning the World Series (the other is the Chicago White Sox). The Cubs reached the 2003 National League Championship Series, and they also battled a full seven games; but as with the Red Sox, they lost their series with a 3-run lead and 5 outs to go, and the World Series was won by the Florida Marlins, who defeated the Yankees.

The Sox and Yankees would meet again in the 2004 American League Championship Series, which was at least as memorable and had a very different outcome.