In the bottom of the eighth, the Yanks got an insurance run when Mike Venafro walked Jim Leyritz with the bases loaded, scoring Chad Curtis.

1999 ALDS (3–0): New York Yankees over Texas Rangers Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio Boston jumped out to an early 1–0 lead with a lead-off home run by Nomar Garciaparra in the second inning off Indians' starter Bartolo Colón.

Garciaparra set up the second run for the Red Sox when he led off the fourth inning with a double and then scored on an RBI single by Mike Stanley.

Facing Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martínez, the Indians looked to be in serious trouble, but the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff left the game due to injury in the bottom of the fifth inning and was replaced by Derek Lowe.

The Indians would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run by Jim Thome, and Colón settled down and dominated the Red Sox hitters the rest of the way, striking out 11 in eight innings pitched.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians handed Lowe a "L", walking the game off when Travis Fryman hit a game-winning single off Rich Garces with the bases loaded.

Behind Bret Saberhagen, the Red Sox built a 1–0 lead when José Offerman singled home Trot Nixon in the third off Indians starter Charles Nagy.

Next inning, the Indians loaded the bases off John Wasdin on two walks and a hit when Alomar's sacrifice fly scored Travis Fryman.

They struck first on a David Justice sacrifice fly off Ramón Martínez in the fourth, but, after shutting out the Red Sox for four innings, starting pitcher Dave Burba left with a strained forearm.

Mike Hargrove chose to insert projected Game 4 starter Jaret Wright instead of rookie middle reliever Sean DePaula.

A lead-off home run by John Valentin untied the score for the Red Sox in the bottom of the sixth, but his error on Manny Ramirez's groundout with runners on first and third tied it back 3–3 in the top of the seventh.

Rhéal Cormier relieved Wasdin and walked Lofton to force in another run before striking out Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar to end the inning, the score now 15–6.

Next inning, Wil Cordero hit a leadoff single before Travis Fryman's two-run home run made it 5–2 Indians and knock Saberhagen out of the game.

In the bottom of the inning, Roberto Alomar and Manny Ramirez hit back-to-back leadoff doubles off Derek Lowe before Thome's second home run of the game put the Indians back on top 8–7.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Red Sox manager Jimy Williams opted to replace Derek Lowe with the ailing Pedro Martínez, who had left Game 1 with a back injury.

Rookie reliever Sean DePaula, whom Hargrove had refused to use in Game 3 when it mattered and compromised his rotation as a result, matched Pedro for three innings.

Despite his mastery of the Sox, which since the middle of Game 3 had been rare for Cleveland pitchers, Hargrove removed him and opted to use inconsistent setup man Paul Shuey for the seventh inning.