The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Maybe the New York Yankees were still recovering from the AL championship series against the Boston Red Sox.

After a dramatic 11-inning victory to win the American League pennant, the Yankees looked sluggish in Saturday's World Series opener, losing 3-2 to the Florida Marlins. The loss ended New York's 10-game home winning streak in the World Series.

The frustrating part was the missed opportunities and a questionable decision by ALCS hero Aaron Boone to cut off a throw that might have saved a run.

New York stranded nine runners and went 1-12 with runners in scoring position. The Yankees had the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and ninth innings but were shut down by Marlins closer Ugueth Urbina.

"We had plenty of opportunities to score," losing pitcher David Wells said. "It just didn't happen for us."

Wells' mistake was a leadoff walk to Jeff Conine in the fifth inning that the Marlins converted into a two-run lead with the last two hits he allowed, to Juan Encarnacion and Juan Pierre.

The Yankees might have limited that rally to one run but third baseman Boone cut off Hideki Matsui's throw, allowing Encarnacion to score what turned out to be the winning run.

Boone explained his thinking.

"Hideki got to it good but he had to throw across his body," he said. "Those plays happen all the time. I saw Encarnacion pass me. I know he runs well and I didn't want another runner to get to second. I saw Pierre way off base. (The throw) was fading a little bit. That's why I cut it off. I thought I had him."

Pierre got back to first safely and the two runs gave Florida a 3-1 lead. The Yankees never quite recovered.

"I think if he had let it go, we have the runner out by a good margin," said Wells, visibly upset on the field after the play. "You can't second-guess it. There's nothing you can do about it. You just go out and make the best plays possible."

Wells came into the game with the best postseason record of any pitcher in baseball history and the Yankees had not lost a World Series game at home since 1996.

None of it mattered much in a subdued ballpark that lacked the electricity of Thursday night's ALCS Game 7 against Boston.

Wells did his part, limiting the Marlins to just six singles in seven innings and only two after the second inning. But he came away with his third postseason loss. His 10-2 postseason record and .833 winning percentage going in was the best in major league history, just ahead of Atlanta's John Smoltz, who is 13-4, .765.

"I felt fine," he said. "I did everything I could. They make contact and make things happen. That's how you win ballgames. Give them a lot of credit."

The Yankees wasted three golden scoring opportunities early against Florida starter Brad Penny.

Alfonso Soriano led off the first inning with an infield single and stole second. But Penny retired the next three hitters in order.

After tying the score at 1-1 on an RBI single by Derek Jeter in the third inning, New York put runners on first and third. Bernie Williams flied out with the runners holding and then Marlins catcher Ivan Rodriguez picked Nick Johnson off third base to end the inning.

"I wasn't that far off the bag," Johnson said. "I was napping. I couldn't get back."

In the fourth, the Yankees had another opportunity when Matsui opened with a single and Jorge Posada walked. But Jason Giambi hit into a double play and Boone grounded out, leaving Matsui at third base.

New York knocked out Penny with one out in the sixth when Williams homered and Matsui followed with a single. Posada hit into a force play against reliever Dontrelle Willis and then stole second, just the 10th stolen base of his career. That put the tying run in scoring position but Willis retired Giambi for the third out.

Then, in the eighth, with runners at first and third and two out, Urbina struck out Posada, ending the inning.

The Yankees threatened again in the ninth when Urbina walked Giambi and Ruben Sierra, but the reliever got out of the jam, striking out Soriano and getting Johnson to pop out to end the game.

That was enough to end the Yankees' streak. New York lost the first two games of the 1996 World Series at home against Atlanta but swept the next four for the first championship under manager Joe Torre.

They had not lost a Series game at home since then. They pulled off two stunning comebacks with two outs in the bottom of the ninth against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 on home runs by Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius.