since 1998, and last of his career. Despite his improved performance, he was left off of the postseason roster. The following year, he was 8–4 with a 3.75 ERA, and returned to the postseason. In the 2001 American League Division Series, he pitched in relief during three games and allowed only two hits with no runs allowed. In the Championship Series, he appeared in relief during three games and allowed one home run, (his only earned run in that series), pitching innings to a 1.69 ERA. In the 2001 World Series, he pitched innings of 1-hit ball as the Yankees fell to the Diamondbacks in seven games. In 2002, Mendoza pitched in 62 games to an identical 8–4 record with a slightly better ERA of 3.44. He pitched innings in the 2002 American League Division Series against the Angels, surrendering only two earned runs as the Yankees were defeated three games to one. On October 28, 2002, his contract with the Yankees expired and he became a free agent. An unnamed source from the Yankees said that they were concerned about his work habits and conditioning. He was on the disabled list each of the past three seasons. Boston Red Sox (2003–2004) On December 30, 2002, Mendoza signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. On July 24, 2004, Mendoza pitched two hitless innings to pick up the win against his former team, the Yankees. The Red Sox were trailing 10–8 at the time, before winning the game, 11–10, in the bottom of the ninth. Mendoza won another World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2004. He was included on the Red Sox roster in the 2004 American League Championship Series and made 2 appearances, getting tagged with the loss in Game 3. Return to the Yankees (2005) After recovering from shoulder surgery during the 2005 offseason, Mendoza returned to the Yankees after September 2005 callups, becoming one of three members of the 2004 Red Sox to play for the 2005 Yankees, along with Mark Bellhorn and Alan Embree. Mendoza's stint with the 2005 Yankees was limited to one inning, in which he gave up two hits, 2 earned runs, and recorded one strikeout. After the 2005 season, Mendoza signed a minor league contract with the Yankees. Later career (2006–2009) He played for Panama in the 2006, 2009, and 2013 World Baseball Classics. In February , he signed