The emergence of Jason Varitek this year helped the Red Sox in a big way.

In the series finale, the Red Sox trailed 4-1 in the eighth, but had the bases loaded and just one out. When they failed to produce a run, their best shot had come and gone, and the Yanks posted two insurance runs in the ninth to wrap up their 36th American League pennant.

Game 5 was a microcosm of the series for the Sox, featuring as it did poor infield play and a failure to produce in the clutch. For the fourth time in the five-game series, the Sox stranded two baserunners in the first inning and later kicked the ball around, producing two more unearned runs.

The Sox landed ignominiously in the record books with 10 errors, most ever in the LCS, including eight by the infield.

"The reason we're sitting here talking and not going to New York is we didn't make the fundamental plays," said a rueful Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette Tuesday morning. "If we caught the ball better, we'd still be playing."

Poor hitting with men in scoring position was another sore spot. In Game 2, the Sox were a woeful 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. In Game 5, they left 11 baserunners stranded.

Those twin failings -- infield ineptitude and inability to deliver the big hit -- sent the Sox home for the winter.

"We were definitely good enough to win this series," concluded shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, "but we didn't play good enough to win."

After the team rallied improbably from a 2-to-0 deficit in the Division Series to oust Cleveland, there was some hope that the team had another comeback in its post-season bag of tricks, particularly after the Sox thumped former teammate Roger Clemens in Game 3.

In retrsospect, that win would be the team's sole consolation prize from the ALCS.

"We had a bunch of guys here who believed in themselves," said veteran Mike Stanley, "and whenever someone said we couldn't do something, we proved them wrong, except for this last time. We pushed and fought and gave it everything we had until the last game.

"Obviously, we'd have liked to keep going, but we have to take a look at the big picture."

If nothing else, the series helped to re-introduce a new generation of baseball fans to the greatness of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, which had been largely dormant since the late 1970s.

Two decades had passed since these two teams last played a truly meaningful game. Through Don Mattingly and Dave Righetti and Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell, the Red Sox and Yankee games of the 1980s and most of the 1990s were barely distinguishable from games against the Orioles and Blue Jays.

That changed this season. The Red Sox made the Yankees sweat out the division title that they had probably taken for granted back in March. It wasn't until just four days remained in the regular season that the Yanks could uncork their champagne.

The Red Sox also successfully closed the talent gap between the two teams, which had been yawning in favor of the Yankees in recent seasons. After trailing the Yanks by 22 games in the standings last year, the Sox finished a mere four back this time.

Unlike recent off-seasons, when the Red Sox faced important questions about key free agents (Clemens after the 1996 season; Mo Vaughn after 1998), the nucleus of the team will remain intact.

"We've got a lot to be proud of and a lot to build on for next season," Duquette said. "We've just got a little work to do be the team celebrating at the end."

The team could use another bat in the middle of the lineup and some improved defensive play in the infield. But in addition to returning core superstars Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, the team can also look forward to the continued growth of young players such as right fielder Trot Nixon and catcher Jason Varitek.

For once, "Wait 'till next year," doesn't have as hollow a ring to it as it usually does, even if next year is actually the next century.