BOSTON (AP) – Former New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson paid Pedro Martinez a compliment. Sort of.

“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Jackson said before Game 4 of the AL championship series Monday night. “He should act like one.”

Martinez is under fire for throwing a pitch behind Karim Garcia’s head, raising tensions that led to a bench-clearing brawl in the third game Saturday night. Yankees coach Don Zimmer, who’s 72, went after Martinez and wound up thrown to the ground. Zimmer apologized for his behavior on Sunday, saying it embarrassed him and everyone involved.

“We are grateful for it, Zim’s apology,” Red Sox manager Grady Little said. “We’re all sorry that what took place happened on the field the other day.”

That’s an unfortunate circumstance that we are trying to put behind us right now and play baseball.”

Martinez was fined $50,000, Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez was fined $25,000, Garcia was fined $10,000 and Zimmer was fined $5,000 by major league baseball.

As of Monday afternoon, the union still had not been sent formal notice of the fines by the commissioner’s office, union lawyer Michael Weiner said. Because no suspensions are involved, a quick appeal isn’t necessary, Weiner said.

“You know, 50,000 is a lot of money for one pitch,” Boston pitcher Derek Lowe said of Martinez. “I just know that’s a lot of money, he’ll probably go through the due process to try to get it lowered.”

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ALLS WELLS: Yankees lefty David Wells injured his groin on his way to the bench-clearing brawl on Saturday night, but he has recovered.

“He felt something, jumping out of the dugout the other night,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “I don’t know what it was, cramp or whatever, but he came to the ballpark (Sunday) and it was gone. Again, he was going to start last night.”

Wells is scheduled to start Game 5 on Tuesday. He was not available for comment.

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OUT IN RIGHT FIELD: David Dellucci started in right field for the Yankees and batted ninth. It was his first start since he sprained his left ankle on Aug. 28.

“You have to separate fantasy from reality,” he said before Game 4. “I’ve had a couple hours to let it sink in, but I realize it will be surreal until the first pitch is thrown.”

Dellucci was on the first-round roster, but he did not play against the Minnesota Twins. However, he did appear in two games for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

“This is a Boston and Yankees game. I don’t think any playoff series can compare with this,” he said. “This is baseball: where we are, and who I’m with. This is baseball and I couldn’t be happier.”

Dellucci has never faced Boston starter Tim Wakefield.

“He may be a little more of a controlled swinger than Juan Rivera,” Torre said. “He’s a good defender, so we just thought we would try something.”

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HOW DRY I AM: With the field soaked from Sunday’s rain that postponed Game 4 for a day, the Red Sox brought in a helicopter to hover over the field and help it dry out.

Head groundskeeper Dave Mellor said the helicopter hovered about six feet over the field for about two hours, focusing on the area near the warning track where the rest of the field drains. Mellor said the downdraft from the rotors is about 90 mph.

It seemed to do the trick.

“It’s still soft, but it’s much better,” Mellor said.

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LARRY AND EARL: One works in the front office and one wore a baseball uniform, but Red Sox president and chief executive officer Larry Lucchino and former Orioles manager Earl Weaver are both battlers.

“He’s Earl Weaver in a business suit,” said Dr. Charles A. Steinberg, Boston’s executive vice president for public affairs.

Lucchino called the Yankees the “Evil Empire” this year and likes to tweak New York owner George Steinbrenner.

“He is a competitive, passionate lover of baseball and its history,” said Steinberg, who also worked with Lucchino in Baltimore and San Diego. “I believe it is not, nor has it ever been personal, but it is feisty, spirited and aggressive.

“I know that he intends is to say things that enhance and help the rivalry because that’s good for baseball.”

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ERROR AT HOME:Singer Michael Bolton had a long pause during the National Anthem when he apparently lost his place after “ramparts we watched.” He resumed, and the fans sang the last few lines with him.

When he concluded, he was serenaded with some boos.

AP-ES-10-13-03 2045EDT