NEW YORK – Not even the magic of Yankee Stadium was powerful enough to keep the Florida Marlins (search) from upsetting New York 2-0 to win baseball's World Series.
Fans screamed "Let's go, Yankees!" at the top of their lungs through eight innings. In the ninth, the chant hit a fever pitch -- until the final out was made. Then, there was stunned silence.
"It's like finding out someone's sleeping with your wife," said Bill Valentine, 34, of Bergen County, N.J.
The astonishment wasn't just at the Bronx Bombers (search) being beaten. It was where they were defeated. The Yankees hadn't lost a World Series at home since 1981, when they were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Magic doesn't work against a great pitcher when he's on," former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (search) said of Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett, who threw a nine-inning shutout.
A smattering of Marlin fans erupted in cheer, much to the dismay of Yankee supporter Chris Gleason.
"These Marlins don't deserve a championship," said Gleason, 34, who came from California for the game. "They've been in existence like five minutes and have 20 fans. It's a sad day for sports."
Of course, Marlins fan Kelly Zawaski begged to differ with Gleason:
"Oh my God, it's awesome."
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox