Yankee Stadium erupted into a full-blown victory party Thursday night, as joyful New Yorkers celebrated the Yankees' hard-fought 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox and looked ahead to seeing New York compete for its 27th World Series win.
"Go Yankees! Yeah baby!!" said a thrilled fan.
There were no big fights with rival Boston fans. Just a stream of excited New York fans pouring into the street outside Yankee Stadium, fans like this one.
"It's the greatest thing that ever happened in the history of this planet!" he said.
The game was dramatic from the very start. The Boston Red Sox grabbed an early four-run lead, and New Yorkers almost lost hope. They watched their team trail for seven innings, then tie the score, and finally earn the win when Yankee Aaron Boone hit a home run in the 11th inning.
New Yorker Jay Vasquez says he had an emotional reaction.
"Oh man, forget about it, I hugged people I didn't even know, man!" he admitted.
Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez dominated Yankee batters, and drew more taunts and boos than usual because of his part in an onfield scuffle during an earlier game in the championship series when he threw a 72-year-old Yankees coach to the ground during a fight. But Martinez pitched well for several innings, looking like he was about to lead his team to its first World Series since 1918.
Yankee fan Nick Komyati says the pressure was so great that he was holding his head in his hands, distraught, for most of the game.
"It was very loud and very upsetting for about seven and a half innings until the Yankees started to get some runs. It's always better to have a curse on your side," he shouted.
The Curse of the Bambino is a superstition held by many around here, one that says the spirit of the Bambino - Babe Ruth - hangs around Yankee Stadium to make sure that Boston, Babe Ruth's former team until he joined the Yankees, never makes it to another World Series.
But curse or no curse, this Boston fan was just glad he got to see his team go so far.
"Great game, great series. This was the World Series, the Marlins don't count. This was the World Series right here, Game 7, Yankees, Red Sox," he said.
But most New York fans would disagree, because now the Yankees will head to the World Series, to face the Florida Marlins, a team that is often called "The Fish" for short.
And this New Yorker can't wait.
"Bring them Fishes on! We gonna eat some Marlins for dinner!" he shouted.
All night, fans called this game the best they'd ever seen. But the best may be yet to come. Baseball's World Series begins Saturday in New York.