Yankees-Red Sox rivalry
Encyclopedia
The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in professional sports. For more than 100 years, Major League Baseball
's Boston Red Sox
and New York Yankees
of the American League
have been intense rivals.
The rivalry is sometimes so polarizing that it is often a heated subject, like religion
or politics
, in the Northeastern United States
. Since the inception of the wild card
team and an added Division Series, the American League East
rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series
three times, with the Yankees winning twice in 1999
and 2003
and the Sox winning in 2004
. In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in (when the Red Sox won) and (when the Yankees won).
The teams also finished tied for first in , when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff
for the division title. The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season. Similarly, the 2004 AL Championship Series is notable for the Yankees leading 3 games to 0 and ultimately losing a best of seven series. The Red Sox comeback was the only time in baseball history that a team has come back from a 0–3 deficit to win a series.
The rivalry is often termed "the best" and "greatest rivalry in all of sports." Games between the two teams are often broadcast on national television, schedule permitting.
, Boston
and New York
have shared an intense rivalry as cities. For more than a century afterward, Boston was arguably the educational, cultural, artistic, and economic power in the United States. Boston's location as the closest American port to Europe
and its concentration of elite schools and manufacturing hubs helped maintain this image for several decades. During this time period, New York was often looked down upon as the upstart, over-populated, dirty cousin to aristocratic and clean Boston. New York's economic power soon outpaced Boston's in the 19th century due to its rapid population growth and terminus of the Erie Canal
, along with massive growth in the manufacturing, shipping, insurance and financial services businesses. By the start of the 20th century this dynamic had completely shifted as New York had become the focus of American capitalism (especially on Wall Street
), and the change was reflected in the new national pastime.
The Red Sox were one of the most successful teams in baseball from 1901 to 1918. They won the inaugural World Series
in (as the Boston Americans; they changed their name to the Red Sox in 1908) and four more between 1912 and 1918. During this period, the Yankees were often called the Highlanders, in reference to playing their games in the Washington Heights
neighborhood of Manhattan
. (The Yankees began play in 1901 as the then-Baltimore Orioles, who played in Maryland for two seasons before moving north). The two teams had their first meeting while the Yankees franchise was in Baltimore on April 26, 1901, the innagural year of the American League. On May 7, 1903, both teams played for the first time since the franchise moved to New York to be called the Highlanders. The game was marked by a fight when Boston pitcher George Winter was knocked down. Boston would eventually go on to win the pennant and the innagural 1903 World Series
. The 1904 season had both teams start off opening day hosting each other. Later in the season, when the Highlanders, led by pitcher Jack Chesbro
who won a record 41 games, met the Boston Americans in the final game of the season to decide the AL pennant. Chesbro threw a wild pitch
and Boston won the pennant, however, the New York Giants
, who had already clinched the National League pennant, had already refused to play in the 1904 World Series
because they did not feel obligated to and saw the American League as inferior, thus, there was no World Series that year. Not until 2004 would the Red Sox (again) defeat the Yankees in a title-deciding game.
Years later on April 20, 1912, Boston, now known as the Red Sox since 1908, opened Fenway Park
with a game against the Highlanders who had left their home field of Hilltop Park
to play in the Polo Grounds
and thus lost the name Highlanders in favor of Yankees. Tris Speaker
hit an RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh to give the Red Sox a 7–6 victory. The victory would not be as memorable for the Titanic sinking replaced it as the front page story. The team would win a team record 105 games and their second World Series
title, defeating the New York Giants.
Six years later, the Chicago Cubs
scored two runs off of Babe Ruth
in game 4 of the Series
, snapping his then record World Series scoreless inning streak at innings. However, the Red Sox won the game 2–1, and went on to capture their fifth Series title, their third in four years, and fourth in seven years.
The Yankees would however receive one notable moment of glory against the Red Sox during this era. On April 14, 1917 Yankee pitcher George Mogridge
threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park, the first in the ball park's history and first in Yankee history. It would also turn out to be the Yankees only no-hitter where they allowed a run as they would win the game 2-1.
In 1916, Harry Frazee
purchased the Red Sox on credit for $500,000. Despite Ruth's success with the Red Sox, owner and Broadway
producer Harry Frazee felt he had to get out of his financial situation. Frazee was hard-pressed to pay off the loans he accrued by purchasing the team and by producing Broadway shows. After the Red Sox finished sixth in the American League in 1919, Frazee, needing money to finance a Broadway musical, No, No Nanette, sold several players, including pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth
, to the Yankees. Frazee received $125,000 and a loan of $300,000—secured on Fenway Park
, the Red Sox' home stadium—for Ruth, despite Ruth having set the record for home runs with 29 in 1919. This began a series of deals with the Yankees that resulted in a long period of mediocrity for the Red Sox while the Yankees began their dynasty.
Ruth's arrival in New York simultaneously launched the Yankee dynasty while ravaging the Red Sox. While the Red Sox's five World Series titles were a record at the time, 1918 would be the team's last championship for 86 years. Meanwhile, Ruth's home run-hitting prowess anchored the Yankee line-up, which became known as "Murderers' Row
" in the late 1920s. The Yankees reached the World Series seven times during Ruth's New York years, winning four. This abrupt reversal of fortunes for the Red Sox marked the beginning of the supposed "Curse of the Bambino
". But it was not the Ruth deal alone that reversed the fortunes of both clubs.
Robert W. Creamer reported that "[the] loan was made and relations between the two clubs continued to be cordial, with Frazee sending player after player to the Yankees over the next few seasons for more and more cash. The Red Sox soon became a baseball disaster area, finishing dead last nine times in eleven seasons." Among others, Wally Schang
, Everett Scott
, Carl Mays
, Waite Hoyt
, Joe Bush
and Sam Jones
went from the Sox to the Yankees in the next one to three years, along with Ed Barrow
, the former Red Sox manager who became the Yankees' general manager and empire-builder for the first quarter-century of the Yankees' dynasty. Scott, a former Red Sox team captain, actually took the reins as Yankee captain from Ruth when he arrived and in doing so became the only player in history to be named captain for both teams.
, 1967
, 1975
and 1986
—they lost the World Series four games to three, leaving them with no World Series titles. During this time, the Red Sox finished second in the standings to the Yankees on twelve occasions—in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1977, 1978, and every year from 1998 to 2003. During the 84-year period, the Yankees finished with a better regular-season record than the Red Sox 66 times, leading one sportswriter to quip that the Yankees' rivalry with the Red Sox was much like the rivalry "between a hammer and a nail." However, the Yankees finished second in the standings to the Red Sox twice, in 1986 and 1995.
Just two years after Ruth's sale, he went on to have a record setting season—statistically, one of the greatest in major league history for a batter. This propelled the Yankees to capture their first pennant and face their rival Giants. On October 5, 1921, the Yankees appeared in and won the their very first World Series
game. However, Ruth got hurt during the Series, and the Yankees eventually dropped the last three games, losing the Series five games to three to the Giants in the last ever best-of-nine Series. Both the Yankees and Giants would play in the 1922 World Series
as well, a series that would be the Yankees' last in the two teams' shared stadium at the Polo Grounds as the Giants served the Yankees an eviction notice after the 1921 season.
The Yankees would eventually move across the Harlem River
to the Bronx into Yankee Stadium. April 18, 1923 would be the day both the Red Sox and Yankees played for the first time at the Yankees new home. Over 74,200 people watched the Yankees defeat the Red Sox, 4–1, in the first game played at the stadium. Babe Ruth hit the new stadium's first home run, christening the stadium as "the House that Ruth Built." Ruth would finish the year with a .393 batting average
, while being walked a then-record 170 times. The Yankees met the New York Giants for the third straight year in the World Series. The 1923 World Series
resulted with the Yankees winning their first World Championship. Of the 24 players on the Yankees' first championship team, 11 came from the Red Sox.
Several lesser known moments in the rivalry occurred during the 1930s. Pitcher Red Ruffing
was traded in 1930 from the Red Sox to the Yankees. Ruffing, who had limited success with the Red Sox, would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Yankees winning 6 World Series with them. August 19, 1934, would show to be the then largest crowd in the history of Fenway Park, 46,766, to witnesses Babe Ruth's final game at Fenway Park in a Yankees uniform in a game Red Sox would win. A year later, the crowd record would be broken again when the two teams met again on September 22, 1935. Record crowds would also show up at Yankee Stadium. On May 30, 1938, before 83,533 spectators, Yankees outfielder Jake Powell
and Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin
fought on the field and beneath the stands. Both players were fined and suspended for 10 games. The Yankees and Red Sox would finish first and second in the League respectively that year as well as the following. The Yankees went on to sweep the Chicago Cubs
in the World Series
and the Cincinnati Reds
in the World Series
a year later.
of the Red Sox batted .406, becoming the last player to bat over .400 in a season. Despite his historic accomplishment, Williams lost the AL MVP race to the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio
, who holds the record for a hitting streak, with 56 straight games in which he had a hit. DiMaggio's unprecedented streak started on May 15, 1941 in a game where his Yankees lost 13-1 to the Red Sox. Williams later reminisced about his rivalry with DiMaggio saying "(Joe) DiMaggio was the greatest all-around player I ever saw. His career cannot be summed up in numbers and awards. It might sound corny, but he had a profound and lasting impact on the country." Both teams almost swapped the two legends. In 1947, Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey
and Yankees GM Larry MacPhail
were rumored to have verbally agreed to trade DiMaggio for Williams, but MacPhail refused to include Yogi Berra
and the deal fell through. Joe DiMaggio's younger brother Dom
would play for the Red Sox his entire career during the 1940s.
The Red Sox finally stopped the Yankees' momentum in 1946. They were unstoppable and were in first place all but two days in the season, and would play in their first World Series game since 1918, having finished ahead of the Yankees in the American League for the first time since selling Babe Ruth. Since the Red Sox last pennant in 1918, the Yankees had won 14 pennants and 10 World Series. Although the tide against the Yankees had turned, Boston would eventually lose the Series
four games to three to the St. Louis Cardinals
.
Former legendary manager for the Yankees, Joe McCarthy came out of retirement after a feud with Yankee ownership to sign with the Red Sox as their manager in 1948. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox were involved in a tight pennant race with the Cleveland Indians
until the final weekend. The Red Sox eliminated the Yankees in the final series at Fenway Park, overcoming four DiMaggio hits in the final game to tie Cleveland for the pennant. The situation forced the first-ever one-game playoff
in AL history, which the Indians won 8–3 at Fenway Park. The city of Boston
missed out on a chance for its first all-Boston World Series, as the Indians went on to defeat the Boston Braves
in the Series
, the last one the Indians have won to date.
A year later, the Red Sox entered the final series of the season at Yankee Stadium needing only one win over the Yankees to advance to the World Series. A Willard Mullin
cartoon showed a broken and battered Yankees player trying to "bar the door" of the "First Place" house. Already sitting inside was a Red Sox player wearing a derby, holding an "eviction notice", and telling the Yankee, "Expecting someone, Bub?" The Red Sox found themselves up by one game with two games left against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Sox lost 5–3 on the last day of the season after falling 5–4 the previous day, resulting in the Yankees winning their 16th American League pennant. The Yankees went on to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers
in the 1949 World Series
for their 12th World Championship.
The 1951 season opened up at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the debut of PA announcer Bob Sheppard
. Sheppard would go on to serve PA duties at Yankee Stadium for another 56 years. On September 28 of that year, Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds
pitched a no-hitter against the Red Sox. A year later, Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall
and Yankees second baseman Billy Martin
exchanged insults before a game in Boston, and ended up fighting in the tunnel under the stands. The fight was eventually broken up by Yankees coaches Bill Dickey
and Oscar Melillo, and Boston starting pitcher Ellis Kinder
. Piersall changed out of his bloody shirt and promptly fought with teammate Maury McDermott. The Red Sox won 5–2 with Piersall sitting the game out.
Starting in 1949, the Yankees began a streak of five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953 and breaking their previous streak of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. They would also go on to win 14 pennants in 16 years starting in 1949.
and Mickey Mantle
. Both men would battle each other for the record until Mantle got injured late in the season, leaving Marris the only one in the hunt. On the last day of the season, Maris broke the record with his 61st home run of the year off Red Sox rookie pitcher Tracy Stallard
at Yankee Stadium. Former Hall of Fame shortstop for the Yankees, Phil Rizzuto
, called the shot in what was one of his first games as an announcer. The Yankees won the game 1–0 and clinch their 26th American League pennant, on their way to their 19th World Series title.
Years later in 1967, Rookie Red Sox pitcher Billy Rohr
flirted with the record books when he came within a single strike of a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium. Elston Howard
hit a two-out, two-strike single in the ninth to spoil the no-hit bid. Rohr completed the one-hitter, but ultimately finished his career with only two wins, both coming against the Yankees. Later that year, Red Sox Third Baseman Joe Foy
hit a grand slam during the first game of a double header. In the second game, Yankee pitcher Thad Tillotson
threw two brushback pitches at Foy before beaning him in the batting helmet. In the next inning, Rex Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg
beaned Tillotson. Both pitchers yelled at each other, and then a brawl ensued. During the fight, Red Sox outfielder Reggie Smith
picked up and body-slammed Tillotson to the ground. Just two months later, both teams are involved in the longest game ever played (by innings) at Yankee Stadium. New York recorded a 20-inning, 4–3 victory over Boston. Later that year on August 3, the Yankees traded Howard, the first African-American player in franchise history, to the Red Sox to help bolster their team during the pennant race. When Howard returned to Yankee Stadium in a Red Sox uniform, the Yankee fans gave him a standing ovation. Boston would be led by Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski
's historic season as the last player to win the batting triple crown
, leading the Red Sox to the pennant in what was a dream year for the Sox. Howard's contribution would be instrumental in the 1967 World Series
, but he and Yastrzemski would lose to Bob Gibson
and the St. Louis Cardinals
four games to three.
In 1973, the American League decided to adopt the designated hitter rule. On April 6, opening the season at Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg
of the Yankees became the first designated hitter
in Major League history. Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant
walked Blomberg in his first plate appearance of the game. Later that year at Fenway Park, with the score tied 2–2 in the top of the 9th, Yankees catcher Thurman Munson
attempted to score from third base on a missed bunt by Gene Michael. He crashed into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk
resulting in a fight with Munson punching Fisk in the face. The rivalry would intensify in the 1970s with the fans too, as just a year later in 1974 at Fenway Park, Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss
was struck in the right arm with a dart thrown from the stands after hitting a triple. Two years later, Yankee outfielder Lou Piniella
would crash into Fisk feet first in an attempt to score in the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. The two benches cleared while Piniella and Fisk brawled at home plate. After the fight apparently died down and order appeared to be restored, Sox pitcher Bill Lee
and Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles
began to exchange words, resulting in another fight. Lee suffered a separated left shoulder from the tilt and missed a significant portion of the 1976 season. He would continue to pitch until 1982, but his level of performance was not the same as it was prior to the fight. The 1976 season saw the Yankees win the pennant, but lose to the Big Red Machine in the 1976 World Series
, just like the Red Sox had done a year prior in the 1975 World Series
in which Carlton Fisk hit his famous home run off of the left field foul pole at Fenway.
After the Yankees loss to the Reds, owner George Steinbrenner
committed to sign a marquee free agent Reggie Jackson
to help win the championship for the Yankees. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles would keep leap frogging each other the entire year during the division race. The Yankees would win the division for the second year in a row, while the Orioles and Red Sox finished tied for second, games behind the Yankees. Jackson's entry onto the Yankees initially had caused a lot of friction on the Yankees. In the middle game of what would prove to be a three-game series sweep by the Red Sox at Fenway, Yankees' manager Billy Martin
pulled Reggie Jackson
off the field in mid-inning for failing to hustle on a ball hit to the outfield. The extremely angry and highly-animated Martin was restrained by coaches Yogi Berra
and Elston Howard from getting into a fistfight with Jackson in the dugout, on the nationally-televised Saturday afternoon game. Eventually emotions calmed down for the season and the Yankees came together to recapture the pennant and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series
, their first since .
In 1978, the Red Sox, led by Jim Rice
, Carl Yastrzemski
, Fred Lynn
and catcher Carlton Fisk
, and managed by future Yankee coach Don Zimmer
, seemed as if they were destined for a trip to the Fall Classic
for the second time in the decade. They led the Yankees in the standings by games by mid-July, with less than three months to go in the regular season. However, the Yankees turned their season around just as the Red Sox seemed to collapse. By September 7, the Yankees had whittled down the -game deficit to only four games, just in time for a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees won all four games in the series by a combined score of 42–9. This series became known as the "Boston Massacre." On September 16, the Yankees held a -game lead over the Red Sox, but the Sox won 12 of their next 14 games (and their last eight in a row) to overcome that deficit and finish in a first-place tie with the Yankees. A one-game playoff
was scheduled in Boston to determine who would win the AL East pennant for 1978.
Boston pitted former Yankee pitcher Mike Torrez
against the Yankees' Cy Young Award
winner, Ron Guidry
, who took a 24–3 record into the game. The Sox were beating Guidry 2–0 in the top of the seventh inning when light-hitting Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent
hit a two-out, three-run home run over Fenway Park's Green Monster
to take a 3–2 lead. It was only his fifth home run of the season. The Yankees later led 5–2 and held on to win 5–4 when Yastrzemski popped out with runners on second and third, ending the Red Sox' season. The headline on The Boston Globe the next day summed it all up: "Destiny 5, Red Sox 4." New York went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals
in the ALCS
and the Los Angeles Dodgers
in the World Series
for their second straight championship.
The Yankees lost the World Series in , while the Red Sox loss came in . Both times, they lost after being up 2–0 in their respective World Series, and both losses happened in New York (Red Sox lost the World Series at Shea Stadium
). For the Yankees, the loss in 1981 marked the beginning of the team's downfall in the 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the lack of championships, the rivalry between the teams did have some memorable highlights. Yankee left-hander Dave Righetti
threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. One of the game's greatest hitters, Wade Boggs
, struck out to end the game. This was the first no-hitter thrown by a left-hander at Yankee Stadium and the first no-hitter by a Yankee since Don Larsen
's perfect game against Subway Series
rival Brooklyn Dodgers
in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series
and the first regular no-hitter by a Yankee since 1951.
On October 4, 1986, Righetti once again made history against the Red Sox when he saved both games of a doubleheader against them, finishing the season with 46 saves, and breaking the major league record shared by Dan Quisenberry
and Bruce Sutter
. The record would stand until Bobby Thigpen
saved 57 games for the Chicago White Sox
in , which would also be Righetti's last season with the Yankees. Righetti retained the single-season record for left-handers until , when Randy Myers
saved 53 games for the Chicago Cubs
; Righetti still owns the AL record for left-handers.
Despite Righetti's heroics on the last day of the season, the Red Sox still won the division and marched on in the playoffs. The Yankees worst nightmare during the 1980s came when the Red Sox faced the Yankees cross-town rivals, the Mets
, in the World Series. The New York Times
called the series a "painful series." Newsday
called it "woeful days for Yankee fans." Mike Lupica
of the New York Daily News called the series "the World Series that is the Yankee nightmare." Both Newsday
and The Boston Globe said that there were Mets T-shirts saying "Steinbrenner
's nightmare," referring to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner
. John Powers of the Globe quoted Claire Smith, who covered the Yankees for The Hartford Courant, as having said that "this really is the World Series of the nightmares."
In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series
, Boston (leading the series three games to two) took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Red Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi
retired the first two batters, putting the team within one out of winning the World Series. However, the New York Mets
scored three unanswered runs, tying the game on a wild pitch from Bob Stanley
and winning it when Boston first baseman Bill Buckner
allowed a ground ball hit by the Mets' Mookie Wilson
to roll through his legs, scoring Ray Knight
from second base. In the seventh game, the Red Sox took an early 3-0 lead, only to lose 8-5. The collapses in the last two games prompted a series of articles by George Vecsey
of the New York Times fueling speculation that the Red Sox were "cursed."
The 1987 season saw notability with the rivalry at the end of the season when on September 29th, Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly
set a MLB record by hitting his 6th grand slam homerun of the season against the Red Sox.
The competititvenes of the teams continued the following year. Co-captains Ron Guidry
and Willie Randolph
had led the Yankees to first place past the All-Star break. However, on July 28, the Yankees fell out of first place, and the Red Sox won their second division title in three years. The Sox went on to face the Oakland Athletics
in the 1988 American League Championship Series
, but wound up losing.
Division contained seven teams, spread out over a wider geographical area, including the Cleveland Indians
and the Milwaukee Brewers
.
In the early to mid 1990s, the two teams were seldom equally good. The Yankees had the worst record in the American League when the Red Sox won their third division title in five years in 1990. In 1992, both teams finished at or near the bottom of the AL East.
In 1990, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy
wrote a book titled The Curse of the Bambino, criticizing the Red Sox for the sale of Babe Ruth, and publicized the curse. When the Red Sox were at Yankee Stadium during a weekend in September , Yankee fans started to chant "1918!" to taunt the Red Sox, reminding them of the last time they won a World Series. Each time the Red Sox were at Yankee Stadium afterward, demeaning chants of "1918!" echoed through the stadium. Yankee fans also taunted the Red Sox with signs saying "1918!", "CURSE OF THE BAMBINO," pictures of Babe Ruth, and wearing "1918!" T-shirts each time they were at the Stadium.
On June 6, 1990, before a Yankees – Red Sox game at Fenway Park, the Yankees fired Bucky Dent
as their manager, making Fenway Park the scene of his worst moment as manager, although he had his greatest moment as a player there. Both teams were on different sides when reacting to the firing. Red Sox fans felt retribution to Dent being fired on their field, while players on the Yankees, including former Red Sox catcher Rick Cerone
and Don Mattingly
used Dent as a scapegoat. However, Dan Shaughnessy criticized Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
for firing Dent in Boston and said that he should "have waited until the Yankees got to Baltimore" to fire Dent. He compared the firing to "Phyllis George
getting arrested in Atlantic City" and "Neil Armstrong
tearing his Achilles' doing the moonwalk," and said that "if Dent had been fired in Seattle or Milwaukee, this would have been just another event in an endless line of George's jettisons. But it happened in Boston and the nightly news had its hook." The "firing was only special because...it's the first time a Yankee manager—who was also a Red Sox demon—was purged on the ancient Indian burial grounds of the Back Bay." On July 30, Steinbrenner was suspended from day-to-day operations of the Yankees. There were cheers at both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park over the news of the suspension of Steinbrenner. At Yankee Stadium, fans chanted and cheered "It's Over! It's Over!" However, the players said that it was sad that Steinbrenner was suspended.
Mel Hall
's game-winning three-run homer in the ninth inning gave the Yankees a dramatic Memorial Day
win over the Red Sox in 1991. Announcer John Sterling
accentuated the word "the" when saying "the Yankees win!" This accentuation would become a characteristic trademark of Sterling for the rest of his broadcasting career.
The 1993 season saw long-time Red Sox fan favorite Wade Boggs defect to the Yankees after eleven seasons with Boston. Later in September 1993, the Yankees defeated Boston at Yankee Stadium via a last-moment reprieve. Trailing 3–1, Mike Stanley
's apparent fly out with two outs in the ninth was nullified by a fan running on to the field prior to the pitch being thrown. The umpire had called time and when play resumed, Stanley singled. The Yankees would rally to score three runs and win on a Don Mattingly
single.
The Yankees' 1980s slump continued into the early 1990s and was at its frustrating peak in 1994, when they finished with the best record in the American League in a season that was prematurely halted by the strike, which left New York sports fans, not just baseball fans, stunned, heartbroken, upset, and shaken to their core because Yankees star player Don Mattingly
had not played in a postseason despite being poised to do so that year. At that time, he led active players in both games played and at bats without a postseason. Throughout October, the news media added to the embarrassment when they often made references to dates that games in the World Series
would have been played. That year, the Yankees and Red Sox would have finished the season against each other at Fenway Park. Both managers, Buck Showalter
of the Yankees and Butch Hobson
of the Red Sox, both of whom made their managerial debuts against each other, were fired during or as a result of the strike.
The strike was the harbinger of the season for the Yankees. Although the Red Sox jumped out to a fast start and finished the season in first place, the Yankees were not serious contenders for the division title. However, with the Yankees clinching the inaugural American League Wild Card on the last day of the season, the Yankees and Red Sox reached the post-season for the first time in the same season. Before the postseason began, Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly contemplated about the first ever playoff series in the rivalry, saying, "That would be pretty cool. It wouldn't hurt the rivalry any. There'd be a few deaths...just kidding." However, both teams lost in separate ALDS
series, with the Red Sox being swept by the Cleveland Indians
and the Yankees losing in five games to the Seattle Mariners
. For the Yankees, the loss led to another post-strike fallout: Both Showalter and General Manager Gene Michael were fired as a result of the loss. Similarly, the firing of Michael as Yankees manager and the loss in the 1981 World Series were fallouts from the strike that year. In fact, the 1981 strike was antecedence to the Yankees demise and downfall of the 1980s and 1990s and the strike in 1994 was part of that demise.
. It was their first in 18 years and the first of former Red Sox Hall of Famer Wade Boggs' career, coming almost 10 years to the day he lost it to the New York Mets
. Boggs celebrated the victory with a memorable moment of jumping on the horse of a NYPD
officer during the celebration. However, the Yankees, like the rest of baseball, were still reeling from what was lost in 1994, because many members of the 1994 team were not there in 1996.
The Yankees did not reach the World Series in 1997, but bounced back with one of the greatest seasons in baseball history in 1998 that culminated in a win over the San Diego Padres
in the 1998 World Series
. The Red Sox, too, made the playoffs in 1998, but as a Wild Card, but lost their ALDS
series. However, they did not seriously contend for the division title. Their fortunes changed the following year.
Following their win, the Yankees controversially traded fan favorite David Wells
to the Toronto Blue Jays
for Roger Clemens
, a fan favorite with the Red Sox between 1984 and 1996. Clemens was coming off two consecutive season with the Blue Jays where he had won both the pitching triple crown
and the Cy Young Award
in both 1997 and 1998.
Once the season started, a moment of peace occurred between the fans. Yankees manager Joe Torre
returned to Fenway Park for his first game following his battle with prostate cancer
. While the managers were exchanging lineup cards, the Boston crowd gave Torre a long standing ovation, to which he tipped his cap. Good relations were seen during the All-Star Game
at Fenway Park. Yankee manager Joe Torre, manager for the American League team, replaced starting shortstop Nomar Garciaparra
of the Red Sox for Derek Jeter
. Garciaparra received a standing ovation from the fans after Jeter came in to replace him after they embraced. Later in the game, when he came to bat, Jeter gave Garciaparra a tribute by mimicking his batting stance.
These moments of truce were short-lived. Late September saw Chili Davis
' 2nd inning home run as the only hit by the Yankees against Pedro Martínez
, who struck out 17 Yankees—the most strikeouts against a Yankee team ever. Martinez retired the last 22 batters after giving up the home run, including striking out eight of the final nine batters. The teams finished first and second in their division and both made the playoffs in the same season. This led to the very first post-season meeting in the long rivalry.
. The Yankees were the defending World Series champions and in the midst of a run of three consecutive World Championships, while Boston had not appeared in the ALCS since 1990
. The Yankees won game one of the ALCS against the Red Sox on a 10th-inning walk-off home run by Bernie Williams
off Boston reliever Rod Beck
. The game is the first actual postseason meeting between the rivals because the one-game playoff in 1978 technically counted as a regular season game. Despite intense buildup to this historic, first-ever postseason meeting between the two longtime rivals, the series proved to be somewhat anticlimactic, with New York winning four games to one.
The lone bright spot for the Red Sox came in Game 3 at Boston's Fenway Park, in what had been a much anticipated pitching match-up of former Red Sox star Roger Clemens
, who was now pitching for the Yankees, and Boston ace Pedro Martínez
. Martinez struck out twelve and did not allow a run through seven innings of work; Clemens was hit hard, giving up five earned runs and only lasting into the third inning of a 13–1 Red Sox victory. However, the Yankees rebounded to win Games 4 and 5, clinching the American League pennant and advancing to the Series
, where they swept the Atlanta Braves
. The loss to Martinez was the Yankees' only postseason loss, as the team went 11–1.
The following year at Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 22–1, handing Boston its most lopsided home loss ever. The Yankees scored 16 runs in the 8th and 9th innings. The Yankees lost 15 of their final 18 games that season and finished with a record of 87–74, but the Red Sox failed to catch up and finished 2.5 games out of first to lose another division title to the Yankees. Despite having the lowest winning percentage of any postseason qualifier in 2000, the Yankees won the first Subway Series
World Series since 1956 over their cross-town rivals the New York Mets
in 5 games to win their 3rd consecutive World Series and 26th overall.
A year later, David Cone
, one of the key players in the then most recent Yankee dynasty, started for the Red Sox against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to the sound of a standing ovation despite playing for the arch-rival Red Sox. It marked Cone's first return to Yankee Stadium since his leaving the team. Cone would later take part in another notable game later that year when he went up against newly acquired Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina
. Mussina had come within one strike of pitching a perfect game
against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Carl Everett
's 9th-inning two-out, two-strike single was the only baserunner allowed by Mussina in a 1–0 Yankee win. Coincidentally, David Cone was the last Yankee pitcher to throw a perfect game in 1999.
On September 10, the two teams had a game against each other rained out. The next day, the country saw one of its biggest tragedies bring both sides together. Following the attacks, Boston fans display signs saying "Boston Loves New York" in a rare moment of peace between the two sides of the rivalry. On September 23, the Yankees home field hosted a memorial service titled, "Prayer for America." The warm feeling of solidarity would once again be short lived as just a few months later in the off-season, Red Sox President Larry Lucchino
labeled the Yankees the "Evil Empire" after Cuban free agent José Contreras
opted to sign with the Yankees instead of the Red Sox.
In 2002, the Red Sox asked the Yankees for permission to interview one of George Steinbrenner's assistants, former Yankees general manager Gene Michael, for their vacant general manager position, but Steinbrenner declined their request. The Red Sox then hired Theo Epstein
, a protege of Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino
, as general manager, and at 28, he was the youngest general manager in baseball history.
Both teams would face off in the LCS once again in 2003. Entering the series, the Red Sox were the favorites to reach the 2003 World Series
and The New York Times
had endorsed a showdown between the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs
, who had not been to the World Series since and had not won a championship since .
Due to the unbalanced schedule, when the Sox forced the ALCS to a full seven games, the seventh game set a major league record for the rivalry between the two teams: it marked the first time two major league teams have played more than 25 games against each other over the course of a single season.
In the top of the fourth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS
at Fenway Park, Red Sox starting pitcher Pedro Martínez hit Yankee batter Karim Garcia
, prompting an argument between the two players, which ended with both teams clearing the benches but no punches thrown. In the bottom half of the inning, a pitch from Roger Clemens to Manny Ramírez
was high and inside, and a brawl ensued. Ramirez swore at Clemens for the pitch. Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer
, who was the manager of the doomed 1978 Red Sox, then 72 years old, charged at Martinez who grabbed him by the head and swung him to the ground. Later, midway through the ninth inning, Garcia and Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson
fought with a Fenway Park groundskeeper, Paul Williams, in the bullpen. Two Boston Police officers issued a report saying that Nelson and Garcia engaged in "an unprovoked attack" on Williams and summonses would be sought for the two Yankees for assault and battery. After reviewing the incident, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
said that he was "very disappointed" by the behavior of the participants and fined Martinez $50,000, Ramirez $25,000, Garcia $10,000, and Zimmer $5,000.
In Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox held a 5-2 lead through eight innings due to an ineffective start by Roger Clemens
, but the Yankees remained in the game because of four shutout innings of relief by Mike Mussina
in his first career relief appearance. After Red Sox starter Pedro Martínez gave up a run in the eighth, manager Grady Little
visited the mound but elected to leave starter him in to complete the inning. Martinez then gave up a double to Hideki Matsui
, and Yankees catcher Jorge Posada
, blooped a double into center field that drove in two runners and tied the game. The game went into extra innings and on the bottom of the eleventh inning, leadoff hitter Aaron Boone
, grandson of Ray Boone
, a (retired) longtime scout with the Red Sox, hit a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield
to left field, ending the game and the series, giving the Yankees their 39th American League pennant.
Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter
told Boone that "magical things happen here in the Stadium—and I told him ghosts come out in October." When asked if he believed in curses, Jeter replied "I don't know if I believe in curses, or jinxes, or anything like that. But I'll tell you what I do believe: I believe in ghosts. And we've got some ghosts in this stadium." David Wells shouted "The Babe is our side! The Curse is still alive!" after Boone hit the home run.
Despite winning the American League pennant, the Yankees lost the World Series
to the Florida Marlins
when future Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett
pitched a five-hit complete game shutout in the deciding game of the series. The Red Sox got consolation over the loss, but two days later, they fired Grady Little. People blamed him for the Game 7 loss, saying that he kept Pedro Martinez for too long.
In an effort to shore up their lineup, the Red Sox set up a potential deal that would send reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez
to Boston and Red Sox slugger Manny Ramírez and prospects to Texas. The deal eventually fell through after Rodriguez indicates he will not go against the players union, which opposes a proposed renegotiation that would have potentially reduced Rodriguez's earnings in the later years of his contract. A freak off season basketball injury to Boone just several months removed from his historic homerun had Yankees management looking at possible options to replace him. Despite being courted by the Red Sox for nearly three months, Rodriguez was traded from the Texas Rangers
to the Yankees.
New Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
, who confounded the Yankees in the 2001 World Series
as an Arizona Diamondback
, appeared at an ice hockey
game in Boston wearing a "Yankee hater" hat.
That year, the Red Sox won an eventful season series against the Yankees. A 13-inning comeback win for the Yankees on July 1 was punctuated by a catch by Derek Jeter
, who ran and dove into the stands at full speed and came out with facial lacerations, in a game the Yankees won in 13 innings. On July 24, Jason Varitek
shoved his glove into the face of the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez
after Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, causing a bench-clearing brawl. Though he was ejected (along with Rodriguez) from the game following the incident, the moment sparked Boston to an 11–10 come-from-behind victory. Despite their success in the rivalry series, the Red Sox still finished second to the Yankees in the AL East for the seventh straight season. Both teams would advance to the ALCS
for the second straight year.
said that "the two teams in the American League facing each other in this series are the two best teams, period." Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina
summed up the build-up: "This is what everyone was hoping for...It's a rematch of last year, with the best two teams in the American League."
Outfielder Johnny Damon
said of Boone's home run: "If we do advance to the World Series and win, it's a better story that we went through New York. We needed to get back here. This is where a lot of hearts were broken, and we're in a perfect seat to stop the hurting." Damon told USA Today: "If we are going to win the World Series, it's better to beat the Yankees to get there. Otherwise, everybody will say, 'Well, you didn't have to face the Yankees.' I think we have the best team, so I hope the best team wins. But the Yankees are no slouches. We know that (Gary) Sheffield can hit every single pitch thrown to him."
The Yankees won the first three games. However, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe said of the final score, nineteen to eight. Why not 19–18?" "Might as well have been 19–18." He mentioned the Curse of the Bambino as he flew to Boston after Game 2: "Imagine my surprise when I heard the gate agent announce: 'Last call for Flight 1918 to Boston.'...I would have to get on Flight 1918 in the middle of another Red Sox crushing defeat by the Yankees...'Hmmm. Imagine if this plane goes down. Dan Shaughnessy, the author of The Curse of the Bambino, perishes on Delta Flight 1918 in the middle of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Red Sox.'"
No team in the history of baseball had ever won a best of seven series after being down three games to none. Entering the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 at Fenway, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera
came with a 4–3 lead. But after a leadoff walk to Kevin Millar
, pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second
and came around to score on an RBI
single by Bill Mueller
. The Red Sox won the game in the bottom of the 12th inning on a home run by David Ortiz
. Game 5 featured another extra-inning Boston comeback, as the Red Sox tied the game in the 8th inning, and won it in the 14th. In Game 6, Curt Schilling, who tore a tendon sheath in his right ankle during American League Divisional Series, pitched seven innings of one-run ball. Schilling's tendon was sutured to his ankle to relieve the discomfort and was given local anesthetic and painkillers for the game. During the game his sock started to absorb the blood from his freshly sutured ankle, dubbed "the bloody sock". The Red Sox completed their comeback with a blowout win in Game 7. The Yankees blowing the 3-0 lead has been considered the biggest collapse in the history of the rivalry.
In Boston, celebrations marking the Red Sox win over the Yankees were marred by tragedy. Moments after the Red Sox beat the Yankees, Victoria Snelgrove, an Emerson College
junior, was mortally wounded after being hit in the eye by a non-lethal crowd control projectile fired by police. Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon
said in response that "I'd give Game 7 back to have her back." The funeral services for Snelgrove took place on October 26, the day before the Curse of the Bambino died.
The Red Sox going to the World Series seemed almost anti-climactic as it was for the Yankees the year before, until October 27, 2004, when the Red Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 years, completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals
in the Series
. Fox commentator Joe Buck
famously called the end of the Curse of the Bambino
saying, "Back to Foulke
. Red Sox fan
s have longed to hear it: The Boston Red Sox are World Champions!"
When the Red Sox held their World Series victory parade, Manny Ramírez
was handed a sign by one of the spectators part of the way through the parade, which read, "Jeter
is playing golf today. This is better!" He held on to this sign for the rest of the parade. The sign Ramirez held reminded many Red Sox fans of what Tug McGraw
said after the Philadelphia Phillies
won the 1980 World Series
when he summed it all up for the fans after 97 years of futility for that team: "All through baseball history, Philadelphia has had to take a back seat to New York City. Well, New York City can take this world championship and stick it! 'Cause we're number one!"
, despite their booing of Alex Rodriguez
. Rivera laughed and tipped his cap. However, in New York, the YES Network
, the Yankees television network, declined to broadcast it. Instead, a fixed camera shot was focused tightly on correspondent Kimberly Jones as she described in general terms the events surrounding her; afterwards, YES was roundly criticized for the move. The Red Sox won the game 8–1.
Just days later, Yankee right fielder Gary Sheffield
's cap was knocked off by a Red Sox fan while trying to pick up a fair ball in right field at Fenway Park. In response, Sheffield pushed the fan. The conflict was quickly stopped by security guards. The fan was ejected from the game for interfering with play and eventually stripped of his season tickets. The season ended with both teams, already with guaranteed playoff berths, playing each other for the division crown on the last day of the season in a game that had the Yankees come out on top. Both teams wound up losing in the 2005 ALDS
, the Yankees to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
and the Red Sox to the eventual World Series champion that year
, the Chicago White Sox
.
The rivalry revived the Yankees' loss to the Florida Marlins in the 2003 World Series
when the Marlins traded Josh Beckett
to the Red Sox at the end of the 2005 season. The Yankees would follow with their own off-season acquisition of Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon
, a fan-favorite during his four years in Boston with a four-year, $52 million contract with the Yankees. A clean-shaven Damon returned to Fenway Park the following May to a mix of cheers and boos as he tipped his helmet to the fans. (The Yankees have a strict dress code for players forbidding both long hair and facial hair beyond neat mustaches, which meant Damon had his shoulder-length "cave man" hair cut and beard shaved on December 22.)
The Yankees defeated the Red Sox at Fenway Park and completed a five-game sweep of the Red Sox in the first five-game series between the teams in 33 years, evoking memories of 1978's "Boston Massacre". The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 49–26 and pushed their division lead to games over the second place Red Sox. The Boston Globe
columnist Dan Shaughnessy
dubbed it the "Son of Massacre." The second game of the series, which the Yankees won 14–11, took four hours and 45 minutes to complete, making it the longest nine-inning game in Major League Baseball history. Months after the Yankees loss to the Tigers in the 2006 ALDS
and manager Joe Torre's controversial decision to drop a struggling Alex Rodriguez to 8th in the lineup, Rodriguez in an interview with Sports Illustrated
, claimed that he had preferred to go to the Red Sox before being traded to the Yankees. The incident would be one of contention between Torre and Rodriguez as noted in Torre's book, The Yankee Years
.
, and Jason Varitek hit four consecutive home runs off Yankee pitcher Chase Wright
, powering a comeback from a three-run deficit and completing a three game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park for the first time since 1990. By May, after long speculation about what team he would play for after retirement, Roger Clemens chooses to return to the Yankees as opposed to the Red Sox (where he started his career) or the Houston Astros
(his hometown and last team he played for). Clemens helps the Yankees overcome a 14 game deficit in the standings to roar back to reach the playoffs again. However, this was not enough to win the division. On September 28, Boston won the AL East after a win against the Minnesota Twins
and a loss by the New York Yankees
against the Baltimore Orioles
. This was the Sox first AL East Championship since 1995, ending the Yankees' nine-year reign in the division.
The Red Sox went on to sweep the Colorado Rockies
in the World Series
. Series MVP Mike Lowell remarks, upon receiving his trophy, that "the Red Sox are expected to win." Controversy erupted during the 8th inning of the final game when Alex Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras
announced that Rodriguez had decided to opt-out of his contract, in what was seen by many as an attempt by Boras to overshadow the series.
The off-season after the 2007 Series showed a war of words between management of both teams. Boston GM Theo Epstein called Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for complaining about the Yankees' trip to Japan
as the Red Sox were gearing up for their own trip there. Epstein claimed that Mussina had used it as a crutch during the season. Mussina retorted back saying "Yea, we used it as a crutch to win the division!" Later that month, Hank Steinbrenner
, who had taken a bigger role with the Yankees operation from his father George, responded in a feisty manner to the popularity of Red Sox Nation
in The New York Times
newspaper's Play Magazine
: Red Sox Nation?' What a bunch of (expletive) that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN
, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order." In response, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry
inducted Hank Steinbrenner into Red Sox Nation, complete with a membership card giving him access to an array of options, including the group newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster
seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz
. Steinbrenner went on to praise Henry's handling of the Red Sox and said they would always be competitive under him.
In 2008, the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth and eliminated the Yankees from playoff contention, bringing an end to the Bombers' streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances dating back to 1995.
signed an eight year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe summed up his feelings by calling it a "kick in the pants".
In August, the Yankees had 23 hits and the Red Sox had 12 in a 20–11 Yankees victory where the total runs scored (31) is the most runs collected by both teams in the history of their rivalry.
Both teams made the playoffs in 2009. During the ALDS
, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins to face the Angels who had knocked out the Red Sox. The Yankees beat the Angels and went on defeat the Philadelphia Phillies
in the 2009 World Series
4–2 to earn their 27th World Series title and their first championship since the Curse of the Bambino died. Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was the losing pitcher of record for the defending champions
in the last game of the series.
saw the Yankees and the Red Sox start and finish the season against each other at Fenway Park, the first time since this happened. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in the first meeting of the two teams, the 30th time that the two teams played on Opening Day, improving to 11–18–1 against the Yankees whenever the two teams play each other on Opening Day.
In July, with the passings of Bob Sheppard
, public address announcer for the Yankees, on July 11 at the age of 99, and principal owner and managing partner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner
, at the age of 80, both teams opened the second half at their respective stadiums with a moment of silence for Steinbrenner and Sheppard. The Red Sox, struggling to get out of third place, failed to make the playoffs for the second time in five years, but played spoiler during the final series of the season, knocking the Yankees out of first place in the American League East, relegating them to the wild-card for the 2010 season.
In 2011, the Red Sox went 12–6 against the Yankees. However, the Yankees claimed the AL East crown after the Red Sox's September struggles left them battling for the wild-card with the Rays, whom they went into the season's final game tied with. On September 28, the Tampa Bay Rays staged a dramatic comeback from 7-0 to win 8-7 over the Yankees in the 12th inning. Only three minutes earlier, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon
blew a 3-2 lead over the Orioles in the bottom of the 9th inning, handing a 4-3 walk-off victory to the Orioles. The Rays claimed the AL Wild Card and eliminated the Red Sox from the post-season. It marked the first time in baseball history that a 9 game lead had been blown in September, becoming the worst collapse in baseball history. Dan Shaughnessy
of The Boston Globe
said that "the greatest choke in baseball history...feels like revenge for and .
During the series the final weekend of the season, Russell Martin
of the Yankees said of the Red Sox about their collapse that "I hate the Red Sox" and that "anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me."
In response to the historic September collapse by the Red Sox, manager Terry Francona was fired. The Red Sox wound up hiring outspoken manager Bobby Valentine
to take Francona's place. Valentine had his own history with the Yankees while managing their cross-town rival New York Mets in the 2000 World Series
.
In May 2008, a Yankees fan in Nashua, New Hampshire was arrested and charged with reckless second-degree murder for murdering two people outside a bar, which resulted from an argument over the rivalry.
During the final series of the 2010 season, Boston Police
arrested a Yankees fan for stabbing a Red Sox fan over an argument about the rivalry.
Don Mattingly had appeared in public service announcement
s airing on the Spike TV
network advocating fathers to spend time with their children as part of the "True Dads" campaign to encourage men to take an active role in their children's lives. Mattingly jokes at the end of the commercial about the impatience of one of the characters in the commercial by calling him a Red Sox fan.
On April 13, 2008, rumors of a construction worker burying a Red Sox jersey in the concrete of the New Yankee Stadium
were verified after anonymous tips led to the location of the jersey. The worker, identified as Gino Castignoli, had buried a David Ortiz jersey in what would become a service corridor in the hopes of cursing the new stadium. After extracting the jersey from underneath two feet of concrete, Yankees' President Randy Levine indicated that the shirt would be donated to the Jimmy Fund to be auctioned for the charity long associated with the Red Sox.
that he was going to cheer for the Red Sox during their World Series appearance against the Colorado Rockies
. Giuliani justified his support of the Red Sox by proclaiming he was a fan of American League baseball. In response, next day, the New York Post
and New York Daily News
printed doctored photos of Giuliani as a Red Sox fan on their covers with the headlines "TRAITOR!" (Daily News) and "RED COAT" (Post). Topps
would parody this in a 2008 baseball card where Giuliani is CGI inserted into a picture of the Red Sox celebrating their 2007 World Series championship as if he is celebrating with them.
A month later, he was asked about his support for the Red Sox by one of the questioners in a YouTube
Republican Presidential Debate run by CNN
. In response to the mayor's answer, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney
, who was in office during the Red Sox 2004 win, claimed that all Americans are united in hatred of the Yankees.
held their victory celebration after winning their first Super Bowl and the first championship for the city of Boston since the Celtics
won the 1986 NBA Championship
, linebacker Larry Izzo
fired up the crowd, chanting "Yankees suck!" The chant would become a fixture to Patriots Super Bowl victory rallies following their victories in Super Bowls XXXVIII
in 2004 and XXXIX
in 2005, both of which were sandwiched by the Red Sox 2004 World Series win. Dan Shaughnessy
wrote about the chant: "Can you imagine a Giants
or a Jets
celebration in New York City in which a New York player would take the time to chant, 'Red Sox suck? Shaughnessy opined that it would be a Jets celebration, as a Giants celebration, like those of the Mets
and the Rangers
would see such chants made at Philadelphia.
The rivalry was played out during Super Bowl XLII
in February 2008, as it was a showdown between each city's football counterpart, the New York Giants
and the New England Patriots
. The Giants defeated the Patriots in what was considered one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. After the game Giants fans chanted "18 and 1! 18 and 1!", reminiscent of the infamous "1918" chant, towards Patriots fans as they left the stadium. (Had they won the game, the Patriots would have become the first NFL team to ever finish with a 19-0 record.) Giants fans called this revenge for the Red Sox comeback in 2004.
During the 2008 NBA Finals
between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers movie director Spike Lee
, a season ticket holder of the New York Knicks
wore a Yankee jersey and cap at Game 3 of the Finals in Los Angeles
. Lee sat behind the Boston bench while loudly cheering for the Lakers
, though he has a friendship with Ray Allen
of the Celtics
.
In 2011, Miami Heat
star LeBron James
of the NBA worked a deal with Red Sox owner John Henry
to take partial ownership of Henry's soccer subsidiary Liverpool Football Club
of the Premier League.
James was criticized in the New York media for spurning New York due to his being a purported Yankee fan.
The New York – Boston rivalry being evident in other sports has been attributed to the rivalry (for example, the rivalries between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots in the National Football League
and the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association
).
Whenever the two teams play a weekend series, the Friday game is broadcast on MLB Network
, the Saturday game is broadcast on Fox, with Joe Buck
and Tim McCarver
calling the game, while the Sunday game is broadcast on ESPN
as part of Sunday Night Baseball
. Whenever they play games during the week, there are games broadcast on MLB Network and ESPN. These games have had at least 50% higher ratings than all of the other games broadcast, sometimes almost twice as high.
Since 2003, ratings for Yankees-Red Sox games on Fox have averaged 2.6 percent of homes–44 percent better than other weeks, while ESPN has averaged 3.96 million viewers for Yankees-Red Sox games on Sunday nights, compared to the average of 2.18 million for all other games. Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS drew a 17.1 rating, the highest for a League Championship Series game since Game 6 of the 1993 National League Championship Series
.
In 2004, the first game between the two teams, on April 16, was nationally broadcast on Fox, because it marked the first time the two teams were facing each other since the memorable 2003 ALCS
. Fox Sports
President Ed Goren said of decision to have the game broadcast on Fox: "We started thinking about this at some point after the Yankees closed the deal with A-Rod
...This is sort of a relaunch of the season in the middle of April. This is going to be an event. When we go through that week, building up to April 16, the sports pages will be filled with Yankees-Red Sox stories, talk radio will be talking and rehashing the ALCS from last year. These two teams coming into this season, there will be A-Rod talk. There will be Schilling talk. It just doesn't get any better than that as a sports fan." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
called the broadcast "an extension of the postseason brought into April." This was the first broadcast of a regular season game in prime-time since Mark McGwire
hit his 62nd home run to break Roger Maris
' record in , and it drew a 3.6 national rating, and with an average audience of 5.3 million, it was the most-watched regular-season telecast since Mark McGwire's record-breaking home run game. In October, when the two teams met in the ALCS
, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig moved Game 5 of the series to primetime due to the rematch.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
have been intense rivals.
The rivalry is sometimes so polarizing that it is often a heated subject, like religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
or politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. Since the inception of the wild card
Major League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
team and an added Division Series, the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant...
three times, with the Yankees winning twice in 1999
1999 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 1999 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 was a matchup between Kent Mercker and Orlando Hernández. The soon-to-be-named 1999 ALCS MVP got into trouble in the first two innings. After a leadoff single by Jose Offerman, John Valentin would reach on an error by...
and 2003
2003 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkBacked by three home runs, Tim Wakefield shut the Bombers down in Game 1.-Game 2:Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York...
and the Sox winning in 2004
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
. In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in (when the Red Sox won) and (when the Yankees won).
The teams also finished tied for first in , when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff
1978 American League East tie-breaker game
The 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
for the division title. The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season. Similarly, the 2004 AL Championship Series is notable for the Yankees leading 3 games to 0 and ultimately losing a best of seven series. The Red Sox comeback was the only time in baseball history that a team has come back from a 0–3 deficit to win a series.
The rivalry is often termed "the best" and "greatest rivalry in all of sports." Games between the two teams are often broadcast on national television, schedule permitting.
Background
Since before the start of the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
have shared an intense rivalry as cities. For more than a century afterward, Boston was arguably the educational, cultural, artistic, and economic power in the United States. Boston's location as the closest American port to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and its concentration of elite schools and manufacturing hubs helped maintain this image for several decades. During this time period, New York was often looked down upon as the upstart, over-populated, dirty cousin to aristocratic and clean Boston. New York's economic power soon outpaced Boston's in the 19th century due to its rapid population growth and terminus of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
, along with massive growth in the manufacturing, shipping, insurance and financial services businesses. By the start of the 20th century this dynamic had completely shifted as New York had become the focus of American capitalism (especially on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
), and the change was reflected in the new national pastime.
Early history: Glory of Red Sox
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in (as the Boston Americans; they changed their name to the Red Sox in 1908) and four more between 1912 and 1918. During this period, the Yankees were often called the Highlanders, in reference to playing their games in the Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. (The Yankees began play in 1901 as the then-Baltimore Orioles, who played in Maryland for two seasons before moving north). The two teams had their first meeting while the Yankees franchise was in Baltimore on April 26, 1901, the innagural year of the American League. On May 7, 1903, both teams played for the first time since the franchise moved to New York to be called the Highlanders. The game was marked by a fight when Boston pitcher George Winter was knocked down. Boston would eventually go on to win the pennant and the innagural 1903 World Series
1903 World Series
The 1903 World Series was the first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball. It matched the Boston Americans of the American League against the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in a best-of-nine series, with Boston prevailing five games to three, winning the last...
. The 1904 season had both teams start off opening day hosting each other. Later in the season, when the Highlanders, led by pitcher Jack Chesbro
Jack Chesbro
John Dwight Chesbro was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates , New York Highlanders , and Boston Red Sox . His 41 wins during the 1904 season remains an MLB record for the modern era...
who won a record 41 games, met the Boston Americans in the final game of the season to decide the AL pennant. Chesbro threw a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
and Boston won the pennant, however, the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, who had already clinched the National League pennant, had already refused to play in the 1904 World Series
1904 World Series
In 1904, there was no World Series between the champions of the two Major League Baseball leagues, the American League and the National League...
because they did not feel obligated to and saw the American League as inferior, thus, there was no World Series that year. Not until 2004 would the Red Sox (again) defeat the Yankees in a title-deciding game.
Years later on April 20, 1912, Boston, now known as the Red Sox since 1908, opened Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
with a game against the Highlanders who had left their home field of Hilltop Park
Hilltop Park
Hilltop Park was the nickname of a baseball park that formerly stood in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. It was the home of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club during 1903-1912 when they were known more often as the "Highlanders"...
to play in the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
and thus lost the name Highlanders in favor of Yankees. Tris Speaker
Tris Speaker
Tristram E. Speaker , nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 , and still holds the record of 792 career doubles...
hit an RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh to give the Red Sox a 7–6 victory. The victory would not be as memorable for the Titanic sinking replaced it as the front page story. The team would win a team record 105 games and their second World Series
1912 World Series
In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three .This dramatic series showcased great pitching from Giant Christy Mathewson and from Boston fireballer Smoky Joe Wood. Wood won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game...
title, defeating the New York Giants.
Six years later, the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
scored two runs off of Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
in game 4 of the Series
1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series featured the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to two. The Series victory for the Red Sox was their fifth in five tries, going back to . The Red Sox scored only nine runs in the entire Series; the fewest runs by the winning team in World Series history...
, snapping his then record World Series scoreless inning streak at innings. However, the Red Sox won the game 2–1, and went on to capture their fifth Series title, their third in four years, and fourth in seven years.
The Yankees would however receive one notable moment of glory against the Red Sox during this era. On April 14, 1917 Yankee pitcher George Mogridge
George Mogridge
George Anthony Mogridge born in Rochester, New York was a Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees , Washington Senators , St. Louis Browns and Boston Braves ....
threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park, the first in the ball park's history and first in Yankee history. It would also turn out to be the Yankees only no-hitter where they allowed a run as they would win the game 2-1.
Babe Ruth sold to Yankees
Harry Frazee
Harry Herbert Frazee was an American theatrical agent, producer and director, and former owner of the Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923.- Life as owner of the Red Sox :...
purchased the Red Sox on credit for $500,000. Despite Ruth's success with the Red Sox, owner and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
producer Harry Frazee felt he had to get out of his financial situation. Frazee was hard-pressed to pay off the loans he accrued by purchasing the team and by producing Broadway shows. After the Red Sox finished sixth in the American League in 1919, Frazee, needing money to finance a Broadway musical, No, No Nanette, sold several players, including pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, to the Yankees. Frazee received $125,000 and a loan of $300,000—secured on Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, the Red Sox' home stadium—for Ruth, despite Ruth having set the record for home runs with 29 in 1919. This began a series of deals with the Yankees that resulted in a long period of mediocrity for the Red Sox while the Yankees began their dynasty.
Ruth's arrival in New York simultaneously launched the Yankee dynasty while ravaging the Red Sox. While the Red Sox's five World Series titles were a record at the time, 1918 would be the team's last championship for 86 years. Meanwhile, Ruth's home run-hitting prowess anchored the Yankee line-up, which became known as "Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row
Murderers’ Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri....
" in the late 1920s. The Yankees reached the World Series seven times during Ruth's New York years, winning four. This abrupt reversal of fortunes for the Red Sox marked the beginning of the supposed "Curse of the Bambino
Curse of the Bambino
The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 to 2004...
". But it was not the Ruth deal alone that reversed the fortunes of both clubs.
Robert W. Creamer reported that "[the] loan was made and relations between the two clubs continued to be cordial, with Frazee sending player after player to the Yankees over the next few seasons for more and more cash. The Red Sox soon became a baseball disaster area, finishing dead last nine times in eleven seasons." Among others, Wally Schang
Wally Schang
Walter Henry Schang was a catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1913 through 1931, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers . Schang was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed...
, Everett Scott
Everett Scott
Lewis Everett Scott , nicknamed "Deacon", was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds . Scott batted and threw right-handed...
, Carl Mays
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. Despite impressive career statistics, he is primarily remembered for throwing a beanball on August 16, 1920, that struck and killed Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, making Chapman one of two people to die...
, Waite Hoyt
Waite Hoyt
Waite Charles Hoyt was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, one of the dominant pitchers of the 1920s, and the winningest pitcher for the New York Yankees during that decade...
, Joe Bush
Bullet Joe Bush
Leslie Ambrose "Bullet Joe" Bush born in Brainerd, Minnesota was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants...
and Sam Jones
Sad Sam Jones
Samuel Pond "Sad Sam" Jones was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in the American League with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox . A native of Woodsfield, Ohio, Jones batted and threw...
went from the Sox to the Yankees in the next one to three years, along with Ed Barrow
Ed Barrow
Edward Grant Barrow was an American manager and executive in Major League Baseball, primarily with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox...
, the former Red Sox manager who became the Yankees' general manager and empire-builder for the first quarter-century of the Yankees' dynasty. Scott, a former Red Sox team captain, actually took the reins as Yankee captain from Ruth when he arrived and in doing so became the only player in history to be named captain for both teams.
1920s and 1930s: The tables turn—first Yankee dynasty
From 1920 through 2003, the Yankees won 26 World Series championships and 39 pennants, compared to only four pennants for the Red Sox. To make matters worse, in every year that the Red Sox won the pennant—19461946 Boston Red Sox season
During the 1946 Boston Red Sox season, the Red Sox won their sixth American League championship, with a record of 104 wins and 50 losses. In the World Series, the Sox lost in 7 games to the St. Louis Cardinals...
, 1967
1967 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season, often referred to as The Impossible Dream, consisted of the Red Sox shocking New England and the rest of the baseball world by winning the American League Championship and reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946...
, 1975
1975 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 4, 1975 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsBoston Red Sox starter Luis Tiant allowed just one run on three hits to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 7–1, in the ALCS opener....
and 1986
1986 American League Championship Series
The 1986 American League Championship Series was a back-and-forth battle between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels for the right to advance to the 1986 World Series to face the winner of the 1986 National League Championship Series...
—they lost the World Series four games to three, leaving them with no World Series titles. During this time, the Red Sox finished second in the standings to the Yankees on twelve occasions—in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1977, 1978, and every year from 1998 to 2003. During the 84-year period, the Yankees finished with a better regular-season record than the Red Sox 66 times, leading one sportswriter to quip that the Yankees' rivalry with the Red Sox was much like the rivalry "between a hammer and a nail." However, the Yankees finished second in the standings to the Red Sox twice, in 1986 and 1995.
Just two years after Ruth's sale, he went on to have a record setting season—statistically, one of the greatest in major league history for a batter. This propelled the Yankees to capture their first pennant and face their rival Giants. On October 5, 1921, the Yankees appeared in and won the their very first World Series
1921 World Series
In the 1921 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees five games to three. This was the last of the experimental best-five-of-nine series....
game. However, Ruth got hurt during the Series, and the Yankees eventually dropped the last three games, losing the Series five games to three to the Giants in the last ever best-of-nine Series. Both the Yankees and Giants would play in the 1922 World Series
1922 World Series
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in five games...
as well, a series that would be the Yankees' last in the two teams' shared stadium at the Polo Grounds as the Giants served the Yankees an eviction notice after the 1921 season.
The Yankees would eventually move across the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
to the Bronx into Yankee Stadium. April 18, 1923 would be the day both the Red Sox and Yankees played for the first time at the Yankees new home. Over 74,200 people watched the Yankees defeat the Red Sox, 4–1, in the first game played at the stadium. Babe Ruth hit the new stadium's first home run, christening the stadium as "the House that Ruth Built." Ruth would finish the year with a .393 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, while being walked a then-record 170 times. The Yankees met the New York Giants for the third straight year in the World Series. The 1923 World Series
1923 World Series
In the 1923 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in six games. This would be the first of the Yankees' 27 World Series championships...
resulted with the Yankees winning their first World Championship. Of the 24 players on the Yankees' first championship team, 11 came from the Red Sox.
Several lesser known moments in the rivalry occurred during the 1930s. Pitcher Red Ruffing
Red Ruffing
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing was a Major League Baseball pitcher most remembered for his time with the highly successful New York Yankees teams of the 1930s and 1940s...
was traded in 1930 from the Red Sox to the Yankees. Ruffing, who had limited success with the Red Sox, would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Yankees winning 6 World Series with them. August 19, 1934, would show to be the then largest crowd in the history of Fenway Park, 46,766, to witnesses Babe Ruth's final game at Fenway Park in a Yankees uniform in a game Red Sox would win. A year later, the crowd record would be broken again when the two teams met again on September 22, 1935. Record crowds would also show up at Yankee Stadium. On May 30, 1938, before 83,533 spectators, Yankees outfielder Jake Powell
Jake Powell
Alvin Jacob Powell born in Silver Spring, Maryland, was an outfielder for the Washington Senators , New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies ....
and Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin
Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
fought on the field and beneath the stands. Both players were fined and suspended for 10 games. The Yankees and Red Sox would finish first and second in the League respectively that year as well as the following. The Yankees went on to sweep the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in the World Series
1938 World Series
The 1938 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Chicago Cubs, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their seventh championship and record third straight .Dizzy Dean, who had helped carry the Cubs to the National League pennant despite a...
and the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the World Series
1939 World Series
The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in four games for the second time in a row, winning their record...
a year later.
1940s–1960s: Teddy Ballgame, Joltin' Joe the Yankee Clipper
The rivalry intensified in 1941 when Ted WilliamsTed Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
of the Red Sox batted .406, becoming the last player to bat over .400 in a season. Despite his historic accomplishment, Williams lost the AL MVP race to the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
, who holds the record for a hitting streak, with 56 straight games in which he had a hit. DiMaggio's unprecedented streak started on May 15, 1941 in a game where his Yankees lost 13-1 to the Red Sox. Williams later reminisced about his rivalry with DiMaggio saying "(Joe) DiMaggio was the greatest all-around player I ever saw. His career cannot be summed up in numbers and awards. It might sound corny, but he had a profound and lasting impact on the country." Both teams almost swapped the two legends. In 1947, Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey
Tom Yawkey
Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Austin , was an American industrialist and Major League Baseball executive. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Yawkey became president of the Boston Red Sox in 1933, and was the sole owner of the team for 44 seasons, longer than anyone else in baseball history.-Early...
and Yankees GM Larry MacPhail
Larry MacPhail
Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail, Sr. was an American lawyer, and an executive and innovator in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
were rumored to have verbally agreed to trade DiMaggio for Williams, but MacPhail refused to include Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
and the deal fell through. Joe DiMaggio's younger brother Dom
Dom DiMaggio
Dominic Paul DiMaggio , nicknamed "The Little Professor", was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox...
would play for the Red Sox his entire career during the 1940s.
The Red Sox finally stopped the Yankees' momentum in 1946. They were unstoppable and were in first place all but two days in the season, and would play in their first World Series game since 1918, having finished ahead of the Yankees in the American League for the first time since selling Babe Ruth. Since the Red Sox last pennant in 1918, the Yankees had won 14 pennants and 10 World Series. Although the tide against the Yankees had turned, Boston would eventually lose the Series
1946 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriThe Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.-Game 2:Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St...
four games to three to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
Former legendary manager for the Yankees, Joe McCarthy came out of retirement after a feud with Yankee ownership to sign with the Red Sox as their manager in 1948. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox were involved in a tight pennant race with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
until the final weekend. The Red Sox eliminated the Yankees in the final series at Fenway Park, overcoming four DiMaggio hits in the final game to tie Cleveland for the pennant. The situation forced the first-ever one-game playoff
1948 American League tie-breaker game
The 1948 American League tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League conference. The game took place on October 4, 1948, between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of...
in AL history, which the Indians won 8–3 at Fenway Park. The city of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
missed out on a chance for its first all-Boston World Series, as the Indians went on to defeat the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the Series
1948 World Series
The 1948 World Series matched the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves. The Braves had won the National League pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of . The Indians spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the Boston...
, the last one the Indians have won to date.
A year later, the Red Sox entered the final series of the season at Yankee Stadium needing only one win over the Yankees to advance to the World Series. A Willard Mullin
Willard Mullin
Willard Mullin was an American sports cartoonist. He is most famous for his creation of the "Brooklyn Bum", the personification of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team...
cartoon showed a broken and battered Yankees player trying to "bar the door" of the "First Place" house. Already sitting inside was a Red Sox player wearing a derby, holding an "eviction notice", and telling the Yankee, "Expecting someone, Bub?" The Red Sox found themselves up by one game with two games left against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Sox lost 5–3 on the last day of the season after falling 5–4 the previous day, resulting in the Yankees winning their 16th American League pennant. The Yankees went on to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in the 1949 World Series
1949 World Series
The 1949 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games for their second defeat of the Dodgers in three years, and the twelfth championship in team history...
for their 12th World Championship.
The 1951 season opened up at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the debut of PA announcer Bob Sheppard
Bob Sheppard
Robert Leo "Bob" Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the MLB New York Yankees , and the NFL New York Giants .Sheppard announced more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over a period of 56 years,...
. Sheppard would go on to serve PA duties at Yankee Stadium for another 56 years. On September 28 of that year, Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds
Allie Reynolds
Allie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
pitched a no-hitter against the Red Sox. A year later, Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall
Jimmy Piersall
James Anthony Piersall is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. Between 1950 and 1967, he played for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , New York Mets , and Los Angeles/California Angels .While he had a fairly good professional career as a center...
and Yankees second baseman Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
exchanged insults before a game in Boston, and ended up fighting in the tunnel under the stands. The fight was eventually broken up by Yankees coaches Bill Dickey
Bill Dickey
William Malcolm Dickey was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager.He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the New York Yankees . During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships...
and Oscar Melillo, and Boston starting pitcher Ellis Kinder
Ellis Kinder
Ellis Raymond Kinder , also nicknamed "Old Folks", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns , Boston Red Sox , St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox...
. Piersall changed out of his bloody shirt and promptly fought with teammate Maury McDermott. The Red Sox won 5–2 with Piersall sitting the game out.
Starting in 1949, the Yankees began a streak of five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953 and breaking their previous streak of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. They would also go on to win 14 pennants in 16 years starting in 1949.
1961–1980: Milestones, fights, neck and neck finishes and the Bucky Dent game
The 1961 season saw the famous chase of Babe Ruth's 1927 single season home run record by Roger MarisRoger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
and Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
. Both men would battle each other for the record until Mantle got injured late in the season, leaving Marris the only one in the hunt. On the last day of the season, Maris broke the record with his 61st home run of the year off Red Sox rookie pitcher Tracy Stallard
Tracy Stallard
Evan Tracy Stallard is a retired American professional baseball player, a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1960 to 1966. He played with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and St...
at Yankee Stadium. Former Hall of Fame shortstop for the Yankees, Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, called the shot in what was one of his first games as an announcer. The Yankees won the game 1–0 and clinch their 26th American League pennant, on their way to their 19th World Series title.
Years later in 1967, Rookie Red Sox pitcher Billy Rohr
Billy Rohr
William Joseph Rohr is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in the American League for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians . Listed at 6' 3", 170 lb., he batted and threw left-handed....
flirted with the record books when he came within a single strike of a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium. Elston Howard
Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
hit a two-out, two-strike single in the ninth to spoil the no-hit bid. Rohr completed the one-hitter, but ultimately finished his career with only two wins, both coming against the Yankees. Later that year, Red Sox Third Baseman Joe Foy
Joe Foy
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Foy was a Major League Baseball third baseman.-Boston Red Sox:Born in New York City, Foy was signed as an amateur free agent by the Minnesota Twins in 1962, but was selected in that year's minor league draft by the Boston Red Sox...
hit a grand slam during the first game of a double header. In the second game, Yankee pitcher Thad Tillotson
Thad Tillotson
Thaddeus Asa "Thad" Tillotson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Tillotson played for the New York Yankees in and . He also played one season in Japan for the Nankai Hawks in . He batted and threw right-handed.Tillotson was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1960...
threw two brushback pitches at Foy before beaning him in the batting helmet. In the next inning, Rex Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg
Jim Lonborg
James Reynold Lonborg is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies...
beaned Tillotson. Both pitchers yelled at each other, and then a brawl ensued. During the fight, Red Sox outfielder Reggie Smith
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest...
picked up and body-slammed Tillotson to the ground. Just two months later, both teams are involved in the longest game ever played (by innings) at Yankee Stadium. New York recorded a 20-inning, 4–3 victory over Boston. Later that year on August 3, the Yankees traded Howard, the first African-American player in franchise history, to the Red Sox to help bolster their team during the pennant race. When Howard returned to Yankee Stadium in a Red Sox uniform, the Yankee fans gave him a standing ovation. Boston would be led by Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...
's historic season as the last player to win the batting triple crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
, leading the Red Sox to the pennant in what was a dream year for the Sox. Howard's contribution would be instrumental in the 1967 World Series
1967 World Series
The 1967 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 1946 World Series, with the Cardinals winning in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall...
, but he and Yastrzemski would lose to Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
and the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
four games to three.
In 1973, the American League decided to adopt the designated hitter rule. On April 6, opening the season at Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg
Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg , nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder...
of the Yankees became the first designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in Major League history. Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant
Luis Tiant
Luis Clemente Tiant Vega , born November 23, 1940 in Marianao, Cuba, , is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians , Minnesota Twins , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels...
walked Blomberg in his first plate appearance of the game. Later that year at Fenway Park, with the score tied 2–2 in the top of the 9th, Yankees catcher Thurman Munson
Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...
attempted to score from third base on a missed bunt by Gene Michael. He crashed into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk , nicknamed "Pudge" or "The Commander", is a former Major League Baseball catcher. During a 24-year baseball career, he played for both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox .Fisk was known by the nickname "Pudge" due to his 6'2", 220 lb frame...
resulting in a fight with Munson punching Fisk in the face. The rivalry would intensify in the 1970s with the fans too, as just a year later in 1974 at Fenway Park, Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss
Chris Chambliss
Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
was struck in the right arm with a dart thrown from the stands after hitting a triple. Two years later, Yankee outfielder Lou Piniella
Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...
would crash into Fisk feet first in an attempt to score in the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. The two benches cleared while Piniella and Fisk brawled at home plate. After the fight apparently died down and order appeared to be restored, Sox pitcher Bill Lee
Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)
William Francis Lee III , nicknamed "Spaceman", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox from - and the Montreal Expos from -...
and Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles , nicknamed "Puff", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres , Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos .Nettles was one of the best...
began to exchange words, resulting in another fight. Lee suffered a separated left shoulder from the tilt and missed a significant portion of the 1976 season. He would continue to pitch until 1982, but his level of performance was not the same as it was prior to the fight. The 1976 season saw the Yankees win the pennant, but lose to the Big Red Machine in the 1976 World Series
1976 World Series
The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League, with the Reds sweeping the Series to repeat. The Reds became the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason. The Reds are also the last National...
, just like the Red Sox had done a year prior in the 1975 World Series
1975 World Series
The 1975 World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds . It has been ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest World Series ever played...
in which Carlton Fisk hit his famous home run off of the left field foul pole at Fenway.
After the Yankees loss to the Reds, owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
committed to sign a marquee free agent Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
to help win the championship for the Yankees. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles would keep leap frogging each other the entire year during the division race. The Yankees would win the division for the second year in a row, while the Orioles and Red Sox finished tied for second, games behind the Yankees. Jackson's entry onto the Yankees initially had caused a lot of friction on the Yankees. In the middle game of what would prove to be a three-game series sweep by the Red Sox at Fenway, Yankees' manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
pulled Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
off the field in mid-inning for failing to hustle on a ball hit to the outfield. The extremely angry and highly-animated Martin was restrained by coaches Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
and Elston Howard from getting into a fistfight with Jackson in the dugout, on the nationally-televised Saturday afternoon game. Eventually emotions calmed down for the season and the Yankees came together to recapture the pennant and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series
1977 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
, their first since .
In 1978, the Red Sox, led by Jim Rice
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
, Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...
, Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
and catcher Carlton Fisk
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk , nicknamed "Pudge" or "The Commander", is a former Major League Baseball catcher. During a 24-year baseball career, he played for both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox .Fisk was known by the nickname "Pudge" due to his 6'2", 220 lb frame...
, and managed by future Yankee coach Don Zimmer
Don Zimmer
Donald William "Popeye" Zimmer is a former infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball, currently serving as a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization...
, seemed as if they were destined for a trip to the Fall Classic
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
for the second time in the decade. They led the Yankees in the standings by games by mid-July, with less than three months to go in the regular season. However, the Yankees turned their season around just as the Red Sox seemed to collapse. By September 7, the Yankees had whittled down the -game deficit to only four games, just in time for a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees won all four games in the series by a combined score of 42–9. This series became known as the "Boston Massacre." On September 16, the Yankees held a -game lead over the Red Sox, but the Sox won 12 of their next 14 games (and their last eight in a row) to overcome that deficit and finish in a first-place tie with the Yankees. A one-game playoff
1978 American League East tie-breaker game
The 1978 American League East tie-breaker game was played between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1978....
was scheduled in Boston to determine who would win the AL East pennant for 1978.
Boston pitted former Yankee pitcher Mike Torrez
Mike Torrez
Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...
against the Yankees' Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner, Ron Guidry
Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, who took a 24–3 record into the game. The Sox were beating Guidry 2–0 in the top of the seventh inning when light-hitting Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
hit a two-out, three-run home run over Fenway Park's Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
to take a 3–2 lead. It was only his fifth home run of the season. The Yankees later led 5–2 and held on to win 5–4 when Yastrzemski popped out with runners on second and third, ending the Red Sox' season. The headline on The Boston Globe the next day summed it all up: "Destiny 5, Red Sox 4." New York went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in the ALCS
1978 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 3, 1978 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriPrior to the start of this game, both teams had to deal with bad news. Ron Guidry, he of the incredible 25–3 Cy Young Award-winning season, would be unavailable to start until Game 4, if played, at least...
and the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in the World Series
1978 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWith Yankee ace Ron Guidry unavailable at least until Game 3, the Dodgers pounded twenty-game winner Ed Figueroa. Figueroa left after two innings, allowing home runs to Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes. Lopes would add a...
for their second straight championship.
1980s and early 1990s
1980s: No championships
The 1980s was the only decade that neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox won a World Series. Although both teams went to the World Series once during that decade, the Red Sox were not serious contenders in the Yankees' playoff years (1980 and 1981), although the Yankees seriously contended in the Red Sox' playoff years (1986 and 1988).The Yankees lost the World Series in , while the Red Sox loss came in . Both times, they lost after being up 2–0 in their respective World Series, and both losses happened in New York (Red Sox lost the World Series at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
). For the Yankees, the loss in 1981 marked the beginning of the team's downfall in the 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the lack of championships, the rivalry between the teams did have some memorable highlights. Yankee left-hander Dave Righetti
Dave Righetti
David Allan Righetti is a former left-handed pitcher for various Major League Baseball teams, primarily the New York Yankees. He is currently the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants and was the first player in history to both pitch a no-hitter and also lead the league in saves in his career...
threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. One of the game's greatest hitters, Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, struck out to end the game. This was the first no-hitter thrown by a left-hander at Yankee Stadium and the first no-hitter by a Yankee since Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
's perfect game against Subway Series
Subway Series
The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams...
rival Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
and the first regular no-hitter by a Yankee since 1951.
On October 4, 1986, Righetti once again made history against the Red Sox when he saved both games of a doubleheader against them, finishing the season with 46 saves, and breaking the major league record shared by Dan Quisenberry
Dan Quisenberry
Dan Raymond "Quiz" Quisenberry was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Kansas City Royals...
and Bruce Sutter
Bruce Sutter
Howard Bruce Sutter is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the splitter....
. The record would stand until Bobby Thigpen
Bobby Thigpen
Robert Thomas "Bobby" Thigpen is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is noted for setting the major league record of 57 saves during the season, which has since been broken by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Francisco Rodríguez...
saved 57 games for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in , which would also be Righetti's last season with the Yankees. Righetti retained the single-season record for left-handers until , when Randy Myers
Randy Myers
Randall Kirk Myers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-1998 for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Career:Myers first began his major league career with...
saved 53 games for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
; Righetti still owns the AL record for left-handers.
Despite Righetti's heroics on the last day of the season, the Red Sox still won the division and marched on in the playoffs. The Yankees worst nightmare during the 1980s came when the Red Sox faced the Yankees cross-town rivals, the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, in the World Series. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the series a "painful series." Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
called it "woeful days for Yankee fans." Mike Lupica
Mike Lupica
Michael Lupica is an American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.-Biography:...
of the New York Daily News called the series "the World Series that is the Yankee nightmare." Both Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
and The Boston Globe said that there were Mets T-shirts saying "Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
's nightmare," referring to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
. John Powers of the Globe quoted Claire Smith, who covered the Yankees for The Hartford Courant, as having said that "this really is the World Series of the nightmares."
In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series
1986 World Series
The 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...
, Boston (leading the series three games to two) took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Red Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi
Calvin Schiraldi
Calvin Drew Schiraldi is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is best remembered as the losing pitcher of Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.-Amateur career:...
retired the first two batters, putting the team within one out of winning the World Series. However, the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
scored three unanswered runs, tying the game on a wild pitch from Bob Stanley
Bob Stanley
Robert William "Bob" Stanley is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox.Over his 13-year career, Stanley played only for the Red Sox from 1977-89...
and winning it when Boston first baseman Bill Buckner
Bill Buckner
William Joseph Buckner is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Despite winning a batting crown in , representing the Chicago Cubs at the All-Star Game the following season and accumulating over 2,700 hits in his twenty-year career, he is best remembered for a fielding error during Game 6...
allowed a ground ball hit by the Mets' Mookie Wilson
Mookie Wilson
William Hayward "Mookie" Wilson is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder and current coach for the New York Mets. He played 12 years in baseball for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays . He was a switch hitter primarily known for his impressive speed and positive attitude...
to roll through his legs, scoring Ray Knight
Ray Knight
Charles Ray Knight is a former right-handed Major League Baseball third baseman best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets...
from second base. In the seventh game, the Red Sox took an early 3-0 lead, only to lose 8-5. The collapses in the last two games prompted a series of articles by George Vecsey
George Vecsey
George Vecsey is an American non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. Vecsey is best known for his work in sports, but has co-written several autobiographies with non-sports figures.-Career:...
of the New York Times fueling speculation that the Red Sox were "cursed."
The 1987 season saw notability with the rivalry at the end of the season when on September 29th, Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
set a MLB record by hitting his 6th grand slam homerun of the season against the Red Sox.
The competititvenes of the teams continued the following year. Co-captains Ron Guidry
Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
and Willie Randolph
Willie Randolph
Willie Larry Randolph is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and manager, most recently the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles...
had led the Yankees to first place past the All-Star break. However, on July 28, the Yankees fell out of first place, and the Red Sox won their second division title in three years. The Sox went on to face the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the 1988 American League Championship Series
1988 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 5, 1988 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsIn an interview conducted before Game 1, José Canseco denied reports in that day's Washington Post by baseball reporter Thomas Boswell that he had used steroids...
, but wound up losing.
1990–1995
The tone of baseball rivalries changed in the early 1990s; fraternization between players who had moved to different teams or knew each other from various ventures kept baseball rivalries to a "friendly" level. However, Major League Baseball's 1994 divisional re-alignment solidified the rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox. Prior to the realignment, the American League EastAmerican League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
Division contained seven teams, spread out over a wider geographical area, including the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
In the early to mid 1990s, the two teams were seldom equally good. The Yankees had the worst record in the American League when the Red Sox won their third division title in five years in 1990. In 1992, both teams finished at or near the bottom of the AL East.
In 1990, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
wrote a book titled The Curse of the Bambino, criticizing the Red Sox for the sale of Babe Ruth, and publicized the curse. When the Red Sox were at Yankee Stadium during a weekend in September , Yankee fans started to chant "1918!" to taunt the Red Sox, reminding them of the last time they won a World Series. Each time the Red Sox were at Yankee Stadium afterward, demeaning chants of "1918!" echoed through the stadium. Yankee fans also taunted the Red Sox with signs saying "1918!", "CURSE OF THE BAMBINO," pictures of Babe Ruth, and wearing "1918!" T-shirts each time they were at the Stadium.
On June 6, 1990, before a Yankees – Red Sox game at Fenway Park, the Yankees fired Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
as their manager, making Fenway Park the scene of his worst moment as manager, although he had his greatest moment as a player there. Both teams were on different sides when reacting to the firing. Red Sox fans felt retribution to Dent being fired on their field, while players on the Yankees, including former Red Sox catcher Rick Cerone
Rick Cerone
Richard Aldo Cerone from Seton Hall University is a former Major League Baseball player from 1975 to 1992 for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Montreal Expos...
and Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
used Dent as a scapegoat. However, Dan Shaughnessy criticized Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
for firing Dent in Boston and said that he should "have waited until the Yankees got to Baltimore" to fire Dent. He compared the firing to "Phyllis George
Phyllis George
Phyllis Ann George Brown is an American businesswoman, actress and a former sportscaster. She is a former Miss Texas and Miss America of 1971.- Early life :...
getting arrested in Atlantic City" and "Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
tearing his Achilles' doing the moonwalk," and said that "if Dent had been fired in Seattle or Milwaukee, this would have been just another event in an endless line of George's jettisons. But it happened in Boston and the nightly news had its hook." The "firing was only special because...it's the first time a Yankee manager—who was also a Red Sox demon—was purged on the ancient Indian burial grounds of the Back Bay." On July 30, Steinbrenner was suspended from day-to-day operations of the Yankees. There were cheers at both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park over the news of the suspension of Steinbrenner. At Yankee Stadium, fans chanted and cheered "It's Over! It's Over!" However, the players said that it was sad that Steinbrenner was suspended.
Mel Hall
Mel Hall
Melvin Hall Jr. is a former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1996 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. He also played in Japan from 1993-1995...
's game-winning three-run homer in the ninth inning gave the Yankees a dramatic Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
win over the Red Sox in 1991. Announcer John Sterling
John Sterling (sportscaster)
John Sterling is an American sportscaster best known as the radio play-by-play announcer of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. He has announced every Yankees game since .-Early life:...
accentuated the word "the" when saying "the Yankees win!" This accentuation would become a characteristic trademark of Sterling for the rest of his broadcasting career.
The 1993 season saw long-time Red Sox fan favorite Wade Boggs defect to the Yankees after eleven seasons with Boston. Later in September 1993, the Yankees defeated Boston at Yankee Stadium via a last-moment reprieve. Trailing 3–1, Mike Stanley
Mike Stanley
Robert Michael "Mike" Stanley is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher in Major League Baseball for fifteen years...
's apparent fly out with two outs in the ninth was nullified by a fan running on to the field prior to the pitch being thrown. The umpire had called time and when play resumed, Stanley singled. The Yankees would rally to score three runs and win on a Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
single.
The Yankees' 1980s slump continued into the early 1990s and was at its frustrating peak in 1994, when they finished with the best record in the American League in a season that was prematurely halted by the strike, which left New York sports fans, not just baseball fans, stunned, heartbroken, upset, and shaken to their core because Yankees star player Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
had not played in a postseason despite being poised to do so that year. At that time, he led active players in both games played and at bats without a postseason. Throughout October, the news media added to the embarrassment when they often made references to dates that games in the World Series
1994 World Series
The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14 of that year due to an ongoing strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which had begun on August 12...
would have been played. That year, the Yankees and Red Sox would have finished the season against each other at Fenway Park. Both managers, Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American Major League Baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He has previously served in a similar capacity with the New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Texas Rangers...
of the Yankees and Butch Hobson
Butch Hobson
Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson, Jr. is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Hobson played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.After retiring, he managed the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox...
of the Red Sox, both of whom made their managerial debuts against each other, were fired during or as a result of the strike.
The strike was the harbinger of the season for the Yankees. Although the Red Sox jumped out to a fast start and finished the season in first place, the Yankees were not serious contenders for the division title. However, with the Yankees clinching the inaugural American League Wild Card on the last day of the season, the Yankees and Red Sox reached the post-season for the first time in the same season. Before the postseason began, Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly contemplated about the first ever playoff series in the rivalry, saying, "That would be pretty cool. It wouldn't hurt the rivalry any. There'd be a few deaths...just kidding." However, both teams lost in separate ALDS
1995 American League Division Series
-Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, Tuesday, October 3:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OhioAfter a 39-minute rain delay, Game 1 got underway with two veterans, Roger Clemens and Dennis Martínez, starting the opener. The Red Sox jumped in front first in the third on John Valentin's two run...
series, with the Red Sox being swept by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and the Yankees losing in five games to the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. For the Yankees, the loss led to another post-strike fallout: Both Showalter and General Manager Gene Michael were fired as a result of the loss. Similarly, the firing of Michael as Yankees manager and the loss in the 1981 World Series were fallouts from the strike that year. In fact, the 1981 strike was antecedence to the Yankees demise and downfall of the 1980s and 1990s and the strike in 1994 was part of that demise.
Late 1990s: Yankee dynasty
A year after captain Don Mattingly's retirement in 1995, the Yankees won the 1996 World Series1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...
. It was their first in 18 years and the first of former Red Sox Hall of Famer Wade Boggs' career, coming almost 10 years to the day he lost it to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Boggs celebrated the victory with a memorable moment of jumping on the horse of a NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
officer during the celebration. However, the Yankees, like the rest of baseball, were still reeling from what was lost in 1994, because many members of the 1994 team were not there in 1996.
The Yankees did not reach the World Series in 1997, but bounced back with one of the greatest seasons in baseball history in 1998 that culminated in a win over the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
in the 1998 World Series
1998 World Series
The 1998 World Series, the 94th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, matched the New York Yankees against the San Diego Padres . The Yankees swept the Series in four games to capture their second championship in three years, and their 24th overall...
. The Red Sox, too, made the playoffs in 1998, but as a Wild Card, but lost their ALDS
1998 American League Division Series
-Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox:-Game 1, September 29:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkScott Brosius was the hero of Game 1, as Todd Stottlemyre faced David Wells. In the bottom of the second, Stottlemyre yielded two runs when Brosius singled in Jorge Posada after Chad Curtis doubled and...
series. However, they did not seriously contend for the division title. Their fortunes changed the following year.
Following their win, the Yankees controversially traded fan favorite David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
to the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
for Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, a fan favorite with the Red Sox between 1984 and 1996. Clemens was coming off two consecutive season with the Blue Jays where he had won both the pitching triple crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
and the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
in both 1997 and 1998.
Once the season started, a moment of peace occurred between the fans. Yankees manager Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
returned to Fenway Park for his first game following his battle with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. While the managers were exchanging lineup cards, the Boston crowd gave Torre a long standing ovation, to which he tipped his cap. Good relations were seen during the All-Star Game
1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 70th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...
at Fenway Park. Yankee manager Joe Torre, manager for the American League team, replaced starting shortstop Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra is a former Major League Baseball player. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and...
of the Red Sox for Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
. Garciaparra received a standing ovation from the fans after Jeter came in to replace him after they embraced. Later in the game, when he came to bat, Jeter gave Garciaparra a tribute by mimicking his batting stance.
These moments of truce were short-lived. Late September saw Chili Davis
Chili Davis
Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis is the hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics. Davis is a former outfielder/designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , California Angels , Minnesota Twins , Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees...
' 2nd inning home run as the only hit by the Yankees against Pedro Martínez
Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
, who struck out 17 Yankees—the most strikeouts against a Yankee team ever. Martinez retired the last 22 batters after giving up the home run, including striking out eight of the final nine batters. The teams finished first and second in their division and both made the playoffs in the same season. This led to the very first post-season meeting in the long rivalry.
1999 ALCS: First playoff meeting
In 1999, the Yankees and Red Sox faced each other for the first time in the ALCS1999 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 1999 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 was a matchup between Kent Mercker and Orlando Hernández. The soon-to-be-named 1999 ALCS MVP got into trouble in the first two innings. After a leadoff single by Jose Offerman, John Valentin would reach on an error by...
. The Yankees were the defending World Series champions and in the midst of a run of three consecutive World Championships, while Boston had not appeared in the ALCS since 1990
1990 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 6, 1990 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe opening game of the series saw a battle of aces, as Oakland sent Dave Stewart to the hill against Boston's Roger Clemens. The game was a scoreless pitchers duel until the bottom of the fourth, when Red Sox third baseman...
. The Yankees won game one of the ALCS against the Red Sox on a 10th-inning walk-off home run by Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
off Boston reliever Rod Beck
Rod Beck
Rodney Roy "Rod" Beck nicknamed "Shooter", was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres...
. The game is the first actual postseason meeting between the rivals because the one-game playoff in 1978 technically counted as a regular season game. Despite intense buildup to this historic, first-ever postseason meeting between the two longtime rivals, the series proved to be somewhat anticlimactic, with New York winning four games to one.
The lone bright spot for the Red Sox came in Game 3 at Boston's Fenway Park, in what had been a much anticipated pitching match-up of former Red Sox star Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, who was now pitching for the Yankees, and Boston ace Pedro Martínez
Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
. Martinez struck out twelve and did not allow a run through seven innings of work; Clemens was hit hard, giving up five earned runs and only lasting into the third inning of a 13–1 Red Sox victory. However, the Yankees rebounded to win Games 4 and 5, clinching the American League pennant and advancing to the Series
1999 World Series
The 1999 World Series, the 95th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row,...
, where they swept the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. The loss to Martinez was the Yankees' only postseason loss, as the team went 11–1.
The following year at Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 22–1, handing Boston its most lopsided home loss ever. The Yankees scored 16 runs in the 8th and 9th innings. The Yankees lost 15 of their final 18 games that season and finished with a record of 87–74, but the Red Sox failed to catch up and finished 2.5 games out of first to lose another division title to the Yankees. Despite having the lowest winning percentage of any postseason qualifier in 2000, the Yankees won the first Subway Series
Subway Series
The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams...
World Series since 1956 over their cross-town rivals the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in 5 games to win their 3rd consecutive World Series and 26th overall.
A year later, David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
, one of the key players in the then most recent Yankee dynasty, started for the Red Sox against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to the sound of a standing ovation despite playing for the arch-rival Red Sox. It marked Cone's first return to Yankee Stadium since his leaving the team. Cone would later take part in another notable game later that year when he went up against newly acquired Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina
Michael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....
. Mussina had come within one strike of pitching a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Carl Everett
Carl Everett
Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
's 9th-inning two-out, two-strike single was the only baserunner allowed by Mussina in a 1–0 Yankee win. Coincidentally, David Cone was the last Yankee pitcher to throw a perfect game in 1999.
On September 10, the two teams had a game against each other rained out. The next day, the country saw one of its biggest tragedies bring both sides together. Following the attacks, Boston fans display signs saying "Boston Loves New York" in a rare moment of peace between the two sides of the rivalry. On September 23, the Yankees home field hosted a memorial service titled, "Prayer for America." The warm feeling of solidarity would once again be short lived as just a few months later in the off-season, Red Sox President Larry Lucchino
Larry Lucchino
Lawrence Lucchino, is the current President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, and a member of John W...
labeled the Yankees the "Evil Empire" after Cuban free agent José Contreras
José Contreras
José Ariel Contreras Camejo is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies...
opted to sign with the Yankees instead of the Red Sox.
2001–2003: Unbalanced schedule
Major League Baseball changed its scheduling format beginning in 2001, further intensifying division matchups throughout the league. The new "unbalanced schedule" allowed for additional games in each season between divisional rivals, replacing additional series with teams outside the division. Due to the change, the Red Sox and Yankees now played each other 17 or more times each season (18 times in 2001). The scheduling drew criticism both when it was enacted and after the fact, with some analysts even positing that the unbalanced schedule hurt intra-divisional play.In 2002, the Red Sox asked the Yankees for permission to interview one of George Steinbrenner's assistants, former Yankees general manager Gene Michael, for their vacant general manager position, but Steinbrenner declined their request. The Red Sox then hired Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28...
, a protege of Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino
Larry Lucchino
Lawrence Lucchino, is the current President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, and a member of John W...
, as general manager, and at 28, he was the youngest general manager in baseball history.
2003 ALCS
Both teams would face off in the LCS once again in 2003. Entering the series, the Red Sox were the favorites to reach the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
had endorsed a showdown between the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, who had not been to the World Series since and had not won a championship since .
Due to the unbalanced schedule, when the Sox forced the ALCS to a full seven games, the seventh game set a major league record for the rivalry between the two teams: it marked the first time two major league teams have played more than 25 games against each other over the course of a single season.
In the top of the fourth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS
2003 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkBacked by three home runs, Tim Wakefield shut the Bombers down in Game 1.-Game 2:Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York...
at Fenway Park, Red Sox starting pitcher Pedro Martínez hit Yankee batter Karim Garcia
Karim García
Gustavo Karim García Aguayo is an outfielder with the Hanhwa Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. García bats and throws left-handed, and has been nicknamed "The Latino Bambino."-Early years:...
, prompting an argument between the two players, which ended with both teams clearing the benches but no punches thrown. In the bottom half of the inning, a pitch from Roger Clemens to Manny Ramírez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...
was high and inside, and a brawl ensued. Ramirez swore at Clemens for the pitch. Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer
Don Zimmer
Donald William "Popeye" Zimmer is a former infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball, currently serving as a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization...
, who was the manager of the doomed 1978 Red Sox, then 72 years old, charged at Martinez who grabbed him by the head and swung him to the ground. Later, midway through the ninth inning, Garcia and Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson
Jeff Nelson (baseball player)
Jeffrey Allan Nelson is an American former baseball relief pitcher who played 15 years in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. Nelson retired on January 12, 2007, the same day he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees...
fought with a Fenway Park groundskeeper, Paul Williams, in the bullpen. Two Boston Police officers issued a report saying that Nelson and Garcia engaged in "an unprovoked attack" on Williams and summonses would be sought for the two Yankees for assault and battery. After reviewing the incident, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...
said that he was "very disappointed" by the behavior of the participants and fined Martinez $50,000, Ramirez $25,000, Garcia $10,000, and Zimmer $5,000.
In Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox held a 5-2 lead through eight innings due to an ineffective start by Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, but the Yankees remained in the game because of four shutout innings of relief by Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina
Michael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....
in his first career relief appearance. After Red Sox starter Pedro Martínez gave up a run in the eighth, manager Grady Little
Grady Little
William Grady Little is a former manager in Major League Baseball. He managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2007...
visited the mound but elected to leave starter him in to complete the inning. Martinez then gave up a double to Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
, and Yankees catcher Jorge Posada
Jorge Posada
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He served as the Yankees primary catcher for most of his career, though following off-season knee surgery, he was moved to designated hitter for...
, blooped a double into center field that drove in two runners and tied the game. The game went into extra innings and on the bottom of the eleventh inning, leadoff hitter Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone is a former Major League Baseball infielder whose famous home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield won the 2003 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Washington...
, grandson of Ray Boone
Ray Boone
Raymond Otis Boone was an American Major League Baseball player. He batted and threw right-handed.Boone was born in San Diego, California. An infielder, he broke into the major leagues on September 3, , with the Cleveland Indians...
, a (retired) longtime scout with the Red Sox, hit a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield
Tim Wakefield
Timothy Stephen Wakefield is an American professional baseball pitcher. Wakefield began pitching with the Red Sox in 1995, making him the longest-serving player currently on the team. Wakefield is also the oldest current active player in the majors, and one of two active knuckleballers, the other...
to left field, ending the game and the series, giving the Yankees their 39th American League pennant.
Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
told Boone that "magical things happen here in the Stadium—and I told him ghosts come out in October." When asked if he believed in curses, Jeter replied "I don't know if I believe in curses, or jinxes, or anything like that. But I'll tell you what I do believe: I believe in ghosts. And we've got some ghosts in this stadium." David Wells shouted "The Babe is our side! The Curse is still alive!" after Boone hit the home run.
Despite winning the American League pennant, the Yankees lost the World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
to the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
when future Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett
Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. During his career in the playoffs, he won the 2003 World Series MVP Award with the Florida Marlins, and received the 2007 ALCS MVP award with the Red Sox.-Florida Marlins :A...
pitched a five-hit complete game shutout in the deciding game of the series. The Red Sox got consolation over the loss, but two days later, they fired Grady Little. People blamed him for the Game 7 loss, saying that he kept Pedro Martinez for too long.
2004: Red Sox win World Series
In an effort to shore up their lineup, the Red Sox set up a potential deal that would send reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
to Boston and Red Sox slugger Manny Ramírez and prospects to Texas. The deal eventually fell through after Rodriguez indicates he will not go against the players union, which opposes a proposed renegotiation that would have potentially reduced Rodriguez's earnings in the later years of his contract. A freak off season basketball injury to Boone just several months removed from his historic homerun had Yankees management looking at possible options to replace him. Despite being courted by the Red Sox for nearly three months, Rodriguez was traded from the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
to the Yankees.
New Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
, who confounded the Yankees in the 2001 World Series
2001 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...
as an Arizona Diamondback
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, appeared at an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game in Boston wearing a "Yankee hater" hat.
That year, the Red Sox won an eventful season series against the Yankees. A 13-inning comeback win for the Yankees on July 1 was punctuated by a catch by Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
, who ran and dove into the stands at full speed and came out with facial lacerations, in a game the Yankees won in 13 innings. On July 24, Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek
Jason Andrew Varitek is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox...
shoved his glove into the face of the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
after Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, causing a bench-clearing brawl. Though he was ejected (along with Rodriguez) from the game following the incident, the moment sparked Boston to an 11–10 come-from-behind victory. Despite their success in the rivalry series, the Red Sox still finished second to the Yankees in the AL East for the seventh straight season. Both teams would advance to the ALCS
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
for the second straight year.
2004 ALCS: The curse is broken
This was the series everybody wanted to see because of what happened in the 2003 ALCS. Yankees General Manager Brian CashmanBrian Cashman
Brian McGuire Cashman is an American Major League Baseball executive for the New York Yankees.-Early life:Cashman was born in Rockville Centre, New York and raised in Washingtonville, New York. He was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He moved with his family to Lexington, Kentucky, where his...
said that "the two teams in the American League facing each other in this series are the two best teams, period." Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina
Michael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....
summed up the build-up: "This is what everyone was hoping for...It's a rematch of last year, with the best two teams in the American League."
Outfielder Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...
said of Boone's home run: "If we do advance to the World Series and win, it's a better story that we went through New York. We needed to get back here. This is where a lot of hearts were broken, and we're in a perfect seat to stop the hurting." Damon told USA Today: "If we are going to win the World Series, it's better to beat the Yankees to get there. Otherwise, everybody will say, 'Well, you didn't have to face the Yankees.' I think we have the best team, so I hope the best team wins. But the Yankees are no slouches. We know that (Gary) Sheffield can hit every single pitch thrown to him."
The Yankees won the first three games. However, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe said of the final score, nineteen to eight. Why not 19–18?" "Might as well have been 19–18." He mentioned the Curse of the Bambino as he flew to Boston after Game 2: "Imagine my surprise when I heard the gate agent announce: 'Last call for Flight 1918 to Boston.'...I would have to get on Flight 1918 in the middle of another Red Sox crushing defeat by the Yankees...'Hmmm. Imagine if this plane goes down. Dan Shaughnessy, the author of The Curse of the Bambino, perishes on Delta Flight 1918 in the middle of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Red Sox.'"
No team in the history of baseball had ever won a best of seven series after being down three games to none. Entering the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 at Fenway, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
came with a 4–3 lead. But after a leadoff walk to Kevin Millar
Kevin Millar
Kevin Charles Millar is an American former professional baseball first baseman and current analyst for MLB Network and New England Sports Network. Millar played college baseball at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he continues to reside in the off-season. Millar is the nephew of former...
, pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
and came around to score on an RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
single by Bill Mueller
Bill Mueller
William Richard Mueller is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Mueller's playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , and Los Angeles Dodgers . He won the American League batting title in 2003, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series...
. The Red Sox won the game in the bottom of the 12th inning on a home run by David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
. Game 5 featured another extra-inning Boston comeback, as the Red Sox tied the game in the 8th inning, and won it in the 14th. In Game 6, Curt Schilling, who tore a tendon sheath in his right ankle during American League Divisional Series, pitched seven innings of one-run ball. Schilling's tendon was sutured to his ankle to relieve the discomfort and was given local anesthetic and painkillers for the game. During the game his sock started to absorb the blood from his freshly sutured ankle, dubbed "the bloody sock". The Red Sox completed their comeback with a blowout win in Game 7. The Yankees blowing the 3-0 lead has been considered the biggest collapse in the history of the rivalry.
In Boston, celebrations marking the Red Sox win over the Yankees were marred by tragedy. Moments after the Red Sox beat the Yankees, Victoria Snelgrove, an Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
junior, was mortally wounded after being hit in the eye by a non-lethal crowd control projectile fired by police. Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon
Trot Nixon
Christopher Trotman Nixon is an American retired professional baseball right fielder. He played from 1996-2008 for three different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the Boston Red Sox...
said in response that "I'd give Game 7 back to have her back." The funeral services for Snelgrove took place on October 26, the day before the Curse of the Bambino died.
The Red Sox going to the World Series seemed almost anti-climactic as it was for the Yankees the year before, until October 27, 2004, when the Red Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 years, completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the Series
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
. Fox commentator Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
famously called the end of the Curse of the Bambino
Curse of the Bambino
The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 to 2004...
saying, "Back to Foulke
Keith Foulke
-Career:After graduating from Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas in 1991, he attended Galveston College and Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho. He began his career in the minor-league system of the San Francisco Giants, but was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1997 with five other prospects...
. Red Sox fan
Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Nation refers to the fans of the Boston Red Sox. The phrase "Red Sox Nation" was first coined by Boston Globe feature writer Nathan Cobb in an October 20, 1986, article about split allegiances among fans in Connecticut during the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the New York...
s have longed to hear it: The Boston Red Sox are World Champions!"
When the Red Sox held their World Series victory parade, Manny Ramírez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...
was handed a sign by one of the spectators part of the way through the parade, which read, "Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
is playing golf today. This is better!" He held on to this sign for the rest of the parade. The sign Ramirez held reminded many Red Sox fans of what Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
said after the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
won the 1980 World Series
1980 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 14, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThe Royals jumped on Philly rookie starter Bob Walk early with a pair of two run bombs—one by Amos Otis in the second and another by Willie Aikens in the third...
when he summed it all up for the fans after 97 years of futility for that team: "All through baseball history, Philadelphia has had to take a back seat to New York City. Well, New York City can take this world championship and stick it! 'Cause we're number one!"
2005–2006
When the two teams played for the first time at Yankee Stadium, on April 3, Yankee fans started new taunts, saying "The Curse of 1918 is finally over (86 years). Let the new curse 2090 begin." They also projected the next Red Sox championship with signs saying "1918-2004-2090." Just a week later, the Red Sox received their World Series rings at Fenway Park before they played the Yankees. In a surprise showing of class, all of the Yankees went to the top step of the dugout to applaud the Red Sox accomplishment. During the announcement of the lineups, Red Sox fans reciprocated by giving Yankee closer Mariano Rivera (who had struggled against the Red Sox) a loud, standing ovationStanding ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
, despite their booing of Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
. Rivera laughed and tipped his cap. However, in New York, the YES Network
YES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
, the Yankees television network, declined to broadcast it. Instead, a fixed camera shot was focused tightly on correspondent Kimberly Jones as she described in general terms the events surrounding her; afterwards, YES was roundly criticized for the move. The Red Sox won the game 8–1.
Just days later, Yankee right fielder Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield
Gary Antonian Sheffield , nicknamed "Sheff", is an American retired Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for eight major league ball clubs from 1988 to 2009, primarily as an outfielder.-Biography:...
's cap was knocked off by a Red Sox fan while trying to pick up a fair ball in right field at Fenway Park. In response, Sheffield pushed the fan. The conflict was quickly stopped by security guards. The fan was ejected from the game for interfering with play and eventually stripped of his season tickets. The season ended with both teams, already with guaranteed playoff berths, playing each other for the division crown on the last day of the season in a game that had the Yankees come out on top. Both teams wound up losing in the 2005 ALDS
2005 American League Division Series
-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. New York Yankees:†: Game was postponed due to rain on October 8-Game 1, October 4:U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois...
, the Yankees to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and the Red Sox to the eventual World Series champion that year
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
The rivalry revived the Yankees' loss to the Florida Marlins in the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
when the Marlins traded Josh Beckett
Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. During his career in the playoffs, he won the 2003 World Series MVP Award with the Florida Marlins, and received the 2007 ALCS MVP award with the Red Sox.-Florida Marlins :A...
to the Red Sox at the end of the 2005 season. The Yankees would follow with their own off-season acquisition of Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...
, a fan-favorite during his four years in Boston with a four-year, $52 million contract with the Yankees. A clean-shaven Damon returned to Fenway Park the following May to a mix of cheers and boos as he tipped his helmet to the fans. (The Yankees have a strict dress code for players forbidding both long hair and facial hair beyond neat mustaches, which meant Damon had his shoulder-length "cave man" hair cut and beard shaved on December 22.)
The Yankees defeated the Red Sox at Fenway Park and completed a five-game sweep of the Red Sox in the first five-game series between the teams in 33 years, evoking memories of 1978's "Boston Massacre". The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 49–26 and pushed their division lead to games over the second place Red Sox. The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
columnist Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
dubbed it the "Son of Massacre." The second game of the series, which the Yankees won 14–11, took four hours and 45 minutes to complete, making it the longest nine-inning game in Major League Baseball history. Months after the Yankees loss to the Tigers in the 2006 ALDS
2006 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Detroit turned four double plays...
and manager Joe Torre's controversial decision to drop a struggling Alex Rodriguez to 8th in the lineup, Rodriguez in an interview with Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, claimed that he had preferred to go to the Red Sox before being traded to the Yankees. The incident would be one of contention between Torre and Rodriguez as noted in Torre's book, The Yankee Years
The Yankee Years
The Yankee Years is a book written by Tom Verducci and Joe Torre. The book chronicles Torre's years as manager of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007. It goes into great detail on Torre's relationship with the players, general manager Brian Cashman, team owner George...
.
2007–2008: Red Sox World Series win followed by Yankees missing playoffs
During the third inning of a game at Fenway Park, Manny Ramírez, J.D. Drew, Mike LowellMike Lowell
Michael Averett Lowell is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball third baseman. During a 13-year career, Lowell played for the New York Yankees , Florida Marlins , and the Boston Red Sox...
, and Jason Varitek hit four consecutive home runs off Yankee pitcher Chase Wright
Chase Wright
Sebern Chase Wright is an American professional baseball pitcher. He bats and throws left-handed. Wright throws a low 90s 4-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup.-Baseball career:...
, powering a comeback from a three-run deficit and completing a three game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park for the first time since 1990. By May, after long speculation about what team he would play for after retirement, Roger Clemens chooses to return to the Yankees as opposed to the Red Sox (where he started his career) or the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
(his hometown and last team he played for). Clemens helps the Yankees overcome a 14 game deficit in the standings to roar back to reach the playoffs again. However, this was not enough to win the division. On September 28, Boston won the AL East after a win against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and a loss by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. This was the Sox first AL East Championship since 1995, ending the Yankees' nine-year reign in the division.
The Red Sox went on to sweep the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
in the World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
. Series MVP Mike Lowell remarks, upon receiving his trophy, that "the Red Sox are expected to win." Controversy erupted during the 8th inning of the final game when Alex Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras
Scott Boras
Scott Boras is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, Calif. that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients, including many of the game's highest-profile players...
announced that Rodriguez had decided to opt-out of his contract, in what was seen by many as an attempt by Boras to overshadow the series.
The off-season after the 2007 Series showed a war of words between management of both teams. Boston GM Theo Epstein called Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for complaining about the Yankees' trip to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as the Red Sox were gearing up for their own trip there. Epstein claimed that Mussina had used it as a crutch during the season. Mussina retorted back saying "Yea, we used it as a crutch to win the division!" Later that month, Hank Steinbrenner
Hank Steinbrenner
Henry G. "Hank" Steinbrenner III is the part-owner and Senior Vice President of the New York Yankees, along with his brother Hal Steinbrenner....
, who had taken a bigger role with the Yankees operation from his father George, responded in a feisty manner to the popularity of Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Nation refers to the fans of the Boston Red Sox. The phrase "Red Sox Nation" was first coined by Boston Globe feature writer Nathan Cobb in an October 20, 1986, article about split allegiances among fans in Connecticut during the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the New York...
in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
newspaper's Play Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
: Red Sox Nation?' What a bunch of (expletive) that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order." In response, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry
John W. Henry
John William Henry II is a futures and foreign exchange trading advisor who founded John W. Henry & Company . He is the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C., and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. In March 2006, Boston Magazine estimated his net worth at $1.1 billion, but noted...
inducted Hank Steinbrenner into Red Sox Nation, complete with a membership card giving him access to an array of options, including the group newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
. Steinbrenner went on to praise Henry's handling of the Red Sox and said they would always be competitive under him.
In 2008, the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth and eliminated the Yankees from playoff contention, bringing an end to the Bombers' streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances dating back to 1995.
2009–2011: Yankees World Series win followed by Red Sox missing playoffs in consecutive years
In the 2008 off-season, first baseman Mark TeixeiraMark Teixeira
Mark Charles Teixeira , nicknamed "Tex" is an American Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees. Mostly a first baseman, he has also played third base and in the outfield...
signed an eight year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe summed up his feelings by calling it a "kick in the pants".
In August, the Yankees had 23 hits and the Red Sox had 12 in a 20–11 Yankees victory where the total runs scored (31) is the most runs collected by both teams in the history of their rivalry.
Both teams made the playoffs in 2009. During the ALDS
2009 American League Division Series
The American League Division Series consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The ALDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and...
, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins to face the Angels who had knocked out the Red Sox. The Yankees beat the Angels and went on defeat the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the 2009 World Series
2009 World Series
The 2009 World Series was the 105th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League...
4–2 to earn their 27th World Series title and their first championship since the Curse of the Bambino died. Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was the losing pitcher of record for the defending champions
2008 World Series
The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
in the last game of the series.
saw the Yankees and the Red Sox start and finish the season against each other at Fenway Park, the first time since this happened. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in the first meeting of the two teams, the 30th time that the two teams played on Opening Day, improving to 11–18–1 against the Yankees whenever the two teams play each other on Opening Day.
In July, with the passings of Bob Sheppard
Bob Sheppard
Robert Leo "Bob" Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the MLB New York Yankees , and the NFL New York Giants .Sheppard announced more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over a period of 56 years,...
, public address announcer for the Yankees, on July 11 at the age of 99, and principal owner and managing partner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
, at the age of 80, both teams opened the second half at their respective stadiums with a moment of silence for Steinbrenner and Sheppard. The Red Sox, struggling to get out of third place, failed to make the playoffs for the second time in five years, but played spoiler during the final series of the season, knocking the Yankees out of first place in the American League East, relegating them to the wild-card for the 2010 season.
In 2011, the Red Sox went 12–6 against the Yankees. However, the Yankees claimed the AL East crown after the Red Sox's September struggles left them battling for the wild-card with the Rays, whom they went into the season's final game tied with. On September 28, the Tampa Bay Rays staged a dramatic comeback from 7-0 to win 8-7 over the Yankees in the 12th inning. Only three minutes earlier, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Phillies, Papelbon played with the Boston Red Sox from 2005-2011....
blew a 3-2 lead over the Orioles in the bottom of the 9th inning, handing a 4-3 walk-off victory to the Orioles. The Rays claimed the AL Wild Card and eliminated the Red Sox from the post-season. It marked the first time in baseball history that a 9 game lead had been blown in September, becoming the worst collapse in baseball history. Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said that "the greatest choke in baseball history...feels like revenge for and .
During the series the final weekend of the season, Russell Martin
Russell Martin
Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr is a Canadian Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.Martin became the everyday catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately upon his Major League debut, and continued in that role for nearly 5 years...
of the Yankees said of the Red Sox about their collapse that "I hate the Red Sox" and that "anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me."
In response to the historic September collapse by the Red Sox, manager Terry Francona was fired. The Red Sox wound up hiring outspoken manager Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
to take Francona's place. Valentine had his own history with the Yankees while managing their cross-town rival New York Mets in the 2000 World Series
2000 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
.
Violence over rivalry
There have been occasions that there have been arrests because of violence over the rivalry.In May 2008, a Yankees fan in Nashua, New Hampshire was arrested and charged with reckless second-degree murder for murdering two people outside a bar, which resulted from an argument over the rivalry.
During the final series of the 2010 season, Boston Police
Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
arrested a Yankees fan for stabbing a Red Sox fan over an argument about the rivalry.
Rivalry outside of baseball
The rivalry between the two teams has been seen, not just on the field, but also off the field.Don Mattingly had appeared in public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s airing on the Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
network advocating fathers to spend time with their children as part of the "True Dads" campaign to encourage men to take an active role in their children's lives. Mattingly jokes at the end of the commercial about the impatience of one of the characters in the commercial by calling him a Red Sox fan.
On April 13, 2008, rumors of a construction worker burying a Red Sox jersey in the concrete of the New Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
were verified after anonymous tips led to the location of the jersey. The worker, identified as Gino Castignoli, had buried a David Ortiz jersey in what would become a service corridor in the hopes of cursing the new stadium. After extracting the jersey from underneath two feet of concrete, Yankees' President Randy Levine indicated that the shirt would be donated to the Jimmy Fund to be auctioned for the charity long associated with the Red Sox.
Politics
In October 2007, Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a staunch Yankee fan, said during his presidential campaignRudy Giuliani presidential campaign, 2008
Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign began following the formation of the Draft Giuliani movement in October 2005. The next year, Giuliani opened an exploratory committee and formally announced in February 2007 that he was actively seeking the presidential nomination of the Republican...
that he was going to cheer for the Red Sox during their World Series appearance against the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
. Giuliani justified his support of the Red Sox by proclaiming he was a fan of American League baseball. In response, next day, the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
printed doctored photos of Giuliani as a Red Sox fan on their covers with the headlines "TRAITOR!" (Daily News) and "RED COAT" (Post). Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
would parody this in a 2008 baseball card where Giuliani is CGI inserted into a picture of the Red Sox celebrating their 2007 World Series championship as if he is celebrating with them.
A month later, he was asked about his support for the Red Sox by one of the questioners in a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Republican Presidential Debate run by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. In response to the mayor's answer, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, who was in office during the Red Sox 2004 win, claimed that all Americans are united in hatred of the Yankees.
Other sports
In 2002, when the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
held their victory celebration after winning their first Super Bowl and the first championship for the city of Boston since the Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
won the 1986 NBA Championship
1986 NBA Finals
The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would...
, linebacker Larry Izzo
Larry Izzo
Lawrence Alexander Izzo is a retired American football Linebacker and special teamer and current assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
fired up the crowd, chanting "Yankees suck!" The chant would become a fixture to Patriots Super Bowl victory rallies following their victories in Super Bowls XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
in 2004 and XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
in 2005, both of which were sandwiched by the Red Sox 2004 World Series win. Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer.-Career:After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross, Shaughnessy began his career as a beat reporter covering the Baltimore Orioles for the Baltimore Sun in 1977. He has been a sports writer for the Boston Globe for approximately 30 years,...
wrote about the chant: "Can you imagine a Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
or a Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
celebration in New York City in which a New York player would take the time to chant, 'Red Sox suck? Shaughnessy opined that it would be a Jets celebration, as a Giants celebration, like those of the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
and the Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
would see such chants made at Philadelphia.
The rivalry was played out during Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
in February 2008, as it was a showdown between each city's football counterpart, the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. The Giants defeated the Patriots in what was considered one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. After the game Giants fans chanted "18 and 1! 18 and 1!", reminiscent of the infamous "1918" chant, towards Patriots fans as they left the stadium. (Had they won the game, the Patriots would have become the first NFL team to ever finish with a 19-0 record.) Giants fans called this revenge for the Red Sox comeback in 2004.
During the 2008 NBA Finals
2008 NBA Finals
The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007–08 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a...
between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers movie director Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
, a season ticket holder of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
wore a Yankee jersey and cap at Game 3 of the Finals in Los Angeles
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
. Lee sat behind the Boston bench while loudly cheering for the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, though he has a friendship with Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
of the Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
In 2011, Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
star LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
of the NBA worked a deal with Red Sox owner John Henry
John Henry
The most notable use of the name John Henry is in a ballad, "John Henry", describing the folk figure John Henry as a "steel-driving man".John Henry may also refer to:-People:* John Flournoy Henry , U.S...
to take partial ownership of Henry's soccer subsidiary Liverpool Football Club
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
of the Premier League.
James was criticized in the New York media for spurning New York due to his being a purported Yankee fan.
The New York – Boston rivalry being evident in other sports has been attributed to the rivalry (for example, the rivalries between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
).
Broadcasts on national television
Because of the nature of the rivalry and the interest it generates, games between the two teams are often broadcast on national television, and have led to an increase in television ratings.Whenever the two teams play a weekend series, the Friday game is broadcast on MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
, the Saturday game is broadcast on Fox, with Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
and Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...
calling the game, while the Sunday game is broadcast on ESPN
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
as part of Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
. Whenever they play games during the week, there are games broadcast on MLB Network and ESPN. These games have had at least 50% higher ratings than all of the other games broadcast, sometimes almost twice as high.
Since 2003, ratings for Yankees-Red Sox games on Fox have averaged 2.6 percent of homes–44 percent better than other weeks, while ESPN has averaged 3.96 million viewers for Yankees-Red Sox games on Sunday nights, compared to the average of 2.18 million for all other games. Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS drew a 17.1 rating, the highest for a League Championship Series game since Game 6 of the 1993 National League Championship Series
1993 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 6, 1993 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaCurt Schilling began the series spectacularly by striking out the first five hitters he faced. The game would be back and forth and low-scoring. A wild-pitch by Atlanta starter Steve Avery allowed Philadelphia to a...
.
In 2004, the first game between the two teams, on April 16, was nationally broadcast on Fox, because it marked the first time the two teams were facing each other since the memorable 2003 ALCS
2003 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkBacked by three home runs, Tim Wakefield shut the Bombers down in Game 1.-Game 2:Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York...
. Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
President Ed Goren said of decision to have the game broadcast on Fox: "We started thinking about this at some point after the Yankees closed the deal with A-Rod
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
...This is sort of a relaunch of the season in the middle of April. This is going to be an event. When we go through that week, building up to April 16, the sports pages will be filled with Yankees-Red Sox stories, talk radio will be talking and rehashing the ALCS from last year. These two teams coming into this season, there will be A-Rod talk. There will be Schilling talk. It just doesn't get any better than that as a sports fan." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...
called the broadcast "an extension of the postseason brought into April." This was the first broadcast of a regular season game in prime-time since Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
hit his 62nd home run to break Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
' record in , and it drew a 3.6 national rating, and with an average audience of 5.3 million, it was the most-watched regular-season telecast since Mark McGwire's record-breaking home run game. In October, when the two teams met in the ALCS
2004 American League Championship Series
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...
, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig moved Game 5 of the series to primetime due to the rematch.