By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NEW YORK - Maybe the New York Yankees are still suffering from their ALCS hangover. Maybe you can't expect magic every night in the Bronx. Or maybe, just maybe, the Florida Marlins are as good as they've looked this October.

The Marlins, the David to the Yankees' Goliath in this story line, won Game 1 of the World Series 3-2 before a crowd of 55,769 at Yankee Stadium.

"They played a better game than us," Yankees manager Joe Torre.

Said Florida manager Jack McKeon: "We're not awed. We don't care where we play them. I can't see why we should be awed. We weren't awed in San Francisco. They weren't awed in Chicago. It's a credit to the players."

Florida closer Ugueth Urbina walked Jason Giambi to start the ninth. Aaron Boone, the ALCS hero, tried to sacrifice on two pitches but failed. He then flied out to left. Pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra worked a walk.

Alfonso Soriano fell behind 1-2, worked the count to 3-2, fouled off a pitch, then took strike three.

Nick Johnson lofted one to center that Juan Pierre cradled to end it.

Pierre scored a run and drove in two.

"He's done that all year," McKeon said. "The bunt single got us the first run. People don't realize what a good clutch hitter he is."

The Yankees had won 10 straight World Series games at home before Saturday.

All seven of the Marlins' hits were singles. But Florida played little ball to perfection.

"Speed changes the game," Torre said.

The clubs meet in Game 2 tonight here. New York sends Andy Pettitte against Florida's Mark Redman.

Florida's Brad Penny, rocked in his first two postseason starts, pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball.

New York's David Wells, who at 40 became the oldest pitcher to start Game 1 of a World Series, pitched well - seven innings, three runs on six hits - but he was burned by Florida's speed and a misplay by Boone.

The Marlins' speed, their major advantage over the Yankees, came into play immediately. Pierre led off the game with a bunt past Wells. Pierre easily beat it out for a hit. He went to third on Luis Castillo's bloop single. Ivan Rodriguez got Pierre home with a sacrifice fly to center, giving Rodriguez an RBI in 10 of 12 postseason games this season.

The Yankees tied it in the third. Karim Garcia led off with a single to left that went off Miguel Cabrera's glove, allowing Garcia to take second. An out later, Johnson walked. Derek Jeter got Garcia in with a single up the middle. It looked like a big inning in the making. But Penny got Bernie Williams to fly to shallow right, and Rodriguez picked Johnson off third base.

The Marlins took the lead back in the fifth. Jeff Conine walked. Juan Encarnacion followed with a single up the middle, and Alex Gonzalez bunted them over.

Pierre singled solidly to left, and Conine scored easily. Third-base coach Ozzie Guillen was sending Encarnacion all the way, even though left fielder Hideki Matsui charged and came up throwing.

Boone, however, cut off the throw. Big mistake. Had he let the throw go through, Encarnacion would have been out.

There's a chance Boone could have cut off the ball and still had time to turn and throw out Encarnacion. But Boone had his back to the plate. He threw to first - too late to get Pierre.

"With a guy like Juan Pierre rounding first, the only thing he's thinking about is the next base," Torre said. "You're trying to stay out of the big inning. I don't fault Boonie there. He knows how to play third."

Penny, a 25-year-old right-hander, was making his first start since the Chicago Cubs lit him up for seven runs in two innings in Game 2 of the NLCS.

"He pitched like he's capable of pitching," McKeon said.

Penny allowed seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

After Penny allowed a single to Matsui, McKeon pulled him and brought in rookie lefty Dontrelle Willis.

Willis, 21, retired the first seven batters. But he was pulled after allowing back-to-back two-out hits in the eighth.