August 18th, 2013
On this day, the New York Yankees were finishing up a three game road series against the division leading Boston Red Sox. For the Yankees, the game seemed meaningless as they trailed the Red Sox by 7.5 games in the AL East. However, this series marked the first time that Alex Rodriguez returned to Fenway Park after serving a hefty suspension for being convicted of using PEDs. A player who was already hated throughout the league because of his on and off field antics, ARod gave opposing fans a reason to boo even louder when he stepped up to bat. And that’s exactly what the Red Sox faithful did as ARod walked to the plate for his first at bat of the night. After throwing one pitch behind Rodriguez and two very inside, Ryan Dempster used his last pitch to hit Rodriguez right below the elbow. As Red Sox fans jumped to their feet and cheered, Joe Girardi threw an on field tantrum that would subsequently lead to his ejection. Fast forward two at bats later and ARod got his revenge as he redirected Dempster’s fastball into the centerfield seats. That seemingly meaningless game manifested into a playoff-like atmosphere. That’s exactly what the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry did, every game had a purpose. This, however, would be the beginning of end of one of the most exciting rivalries in professional sports.
In the 2000’s, every Yankees-Red Sox game was must watch baseball. Not only were both clubs top teams in the league for a majority of the decade, but their contempt for each other was unparalleled by any other rivalry in sports. The tension augmented game-changing moments, such as Aaron Boone’s walk off homer in 2003 ALCS and David Ortiz’s grand slam in the 2004 ALCS. However, in the early 2010’s, there was something different about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. When the Yankees were good, the Red Sox were rebuilding. Conversely, when the Red Sox were good, the Yankees were overpaying MLB stars way out of their prime. The days of the ARod-Varitek fight and “Who’s your daddy?” seemed like a thing of the past. At a time when baseball was taking a backseat to sports such as the NBA and NFL, its most famed rivalry was nowhere to be found.
Fast forward to today and the narrative is changing. After acquiring Chris Sale in the offseason, the Red Sox were dubbed the “Warriors of the MLB” and instantly labeled World Series contenders. And rightfully so. The Red Sox boast a talented rotation filled with all-stars and former Cy Young winners. Their bullpen is anchored down by the most dominant closer in baseball today, Craig Kimbrel. To top it all off, they have one of the top offenses in baseball (maybe except when Chris Sale pitches). With a perfect mixture of young talent and savvy veterans, the Red Sox are right up there with Astros, Nationals, and Dodgers as the top teams in the league. As for the Yankees, they went into this season expecting to rebuild and develop their young core. Well, I don’t know if we can say they are still technically rebuilding. Just a couple of months into the season, the Yankees surprised all of baseball with their level of play. Their offense was producing at record levels, led by the biggest surprise of them all, Aaron Judge. Even their pitching staff was performing at their best in years. While I will admit the Red Sox are definitely the better team this year (even though this pains me as a Yankee fan), the future in New York is as bright as Times Square.
But it takes more than talent to ignite this once fiery rivalry. As Mike Vaccaro wrote in his New York Post article, they are missing a necessary four letter word; hate. Hate is what drove this rivalry from good to great, from “exciting” baseball to “must watch” baseball. We need to see more hate. We need Aaron Judge to get into a fight with Sandy Leon after being intentionally throw at by Drew Pomeranz. We need Clint Frazier to slap the ball out of Rick Porcello’s hand in the late innings of a playoff game. We need Chris Sale to shove Tony Pena to the ground in the middle of a benches clearing brawl. We need boos and f*ck you’s. You take all of that and combine it with game changing plays, intense divisional matches, and all-or-nothing playoff scenarios, and you will see the fire return. This is what Boston and New York fans have been waiting for. Just show us a little hate coupled with competitive baseball and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ve been itching for this.
I really do believe we are beginning to see the next chapter of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. One of the main reasons for this is because both teams are finally becoming competitive at the same time again. But even more so, both teams are setting themselves up for extended success through their young talent. And while the Red Sox out-gun the Yankees right now, let’s not forget how much cap space the Bronx Bombers have going into the next two off-seasons. I’d almost go as far as to guarantee that sometime in the next three years the Yankees and Red Sox will meet in the playoffs. How great would that be? Just one playoff series could catapult this rivalry back on the map. We’re not there yet, but I think we’re close. The faint boos that you could hear on Sunday when Aaron Judge stepped to the plate seemed like a preview of what’s to come. Get excited, I know I am.
P.S. I’ll leave these videos here for your own viewing pleasure 😉
