NEW YORK — Derek Lowe won the deciding game of three postseason series for the Red Sox in 2004, an accomplishment he will never forget. But earning a place on the postseason roster of the Yankees this season is something he also treasures.

“This has been totally unexpected,” Lowe said before the Yankees lost to the Tigers, 6-4, in 12 innings in Game 1 of the ALCS. “That’s what makes it so much fun.”