The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet for the 2,137th game and we have seen some epic moments during that span.
By Christian Kouroupakis
Baseball’s most historic rivalry was conceived in 1919 when Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold the legendary Babe Ruth New York for $250,000. They didn’t know at the time, but it would not only be the birth of an 86-year curse famously known as the “Curse of the Bambino,” but it was the start of one of the premiere sports rivalries in the world.
The rivalry is usually the source of heated debates, arguments, and even fights in the Boston-New York area.
The Yankees/Red Sox match-up generates probably the greatest interest and receives the most extensive media coverage, including broadcasts on national television including ESPN this Sunday Night.
In the Wild Card Era (1995) every postseason with the exception of 2014 has featured either the Yankees or Red Sox. Since then, they have squared off in the American League Championship series three times. The Yankees won in 1999 and 2003 while the Sox took home the pennant in 2004.
Despite the recent fall off in relevancy, that doesn’t take away from what made this rivalry so great. In honor of the rivalry being renewed tonight, let’s take a look at the greatest moments of this historic rivalry.
10. The Boston Massacre
This is not a moment, but more of a period of collapse. Nevertheless, it owns a place in Yankees-Red Sox History.
Boston owned an enormous 14-game lead over New York at the All-Star Break, but the Red Sox had gone 25-24 and the Yankees had gone 35-14 before commencing a four-game series at Fenway Park on Sept. 14, 1978.
By the time the four-game set finished, the Yankees had accounted for 42 runs and 67 hits in just four days and swept the series. The Yankees won all four games by an average of over eight runs.
This would be famously known as the “Boston Massacre” but the best was yet to come. A week later, the Yankees took two of three from the Sox in the Bronx and eventually forced a one-game playoff.
The massacre was completed in that win-or-die face-off thanks to Bucky F**cking Dent’s go-ahead home run that sent the Yankees on their way toward an eventual repeat World Series championship.
Depending on who you ask, this collapse would become one of the greatest parts of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.
9. A-Rod Walks It Off
There was a 0-0 standstill occurring at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 7, 2009, as the game entered the bottom of the 15th inning.
The Red Sox sent their last available pitcher, Junichi Tazawa, to the mound for his Major League debut.
After working out of trouble in the 14th, he surrendered a leadoff single to Derek Jeter and then what happened next turned Tazawa’s debut into a depressing one.
Two batters after Jeter’s single, Alex Rodriguez cranked a home run to left to give the Yankees one of their signature wins of the 2009 championship run.
8. Jeter Dives Into The Stands
This moment was vintage Derek Jeter.
Sure, he made better plays like his jump throw or cutoff relay in the 2001 American League Division Series, but this was still one of the best plays of his legendary career.
The dive into the stands took place in the 12th inning with the game tied four apiece. Trot Nixon lifted a blooper into left that would have fallen for a base hit, but he forgot about who was playing shortstop.
Jeter made the play on the run, and his momentum forced him to dive into the stands down the left field line.
This would help keep the game tied in an eventual 5-4 Yankees victory in 13 innings. The victory was earned thanks in large part to the acrobatic catch in front of a crowd of 55,265 fans.
7. Ellsbury Steals Home
Many Yankee fans loved when Jacoby Ellsbury did this two weeks ago, but they were quite bitter when he swiped home against them back in 2009.
With J.D. Drew at the dish in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded and two away, Andy Pettitte began to deliver a pitch and Ellsbury made an unexpected break for home, beating the tag by Jorge Posada.
It was the first straight steal of home by a Boston Red Sox player since Billy Hatcher did it in back 1994. When he did it for the Yankees earlier this month, he was the first to do it since Jeter back in 2001.
6. Pedro Martinez Throws Don Zimmer To The Ground
This is perhaps one of the most infamous moments in the rivalry and a pure example of how the emotions of this hatred between teams can take over a player.
During a brawl in game-three of the 2003 American League Championship Series, things got a little feisty and those emotions got the best of hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez.
As players battled it out on the diamond, the 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer charged at Martinez but was shoved to the ground in one of the craziest fights in baseball history.
The Yankees ended up winning the contest, but this altercation is what people remember the most from this day.
5. Judas Returns
Johnny Damon was a postseason hero for the Boston Red Sox up until he traded his red socks for navy pinstripes for $52-million in the winter of 2006.
On May 1st of that same year, Damon returned to Fenway greeted by vulgarity and boos from the place he called home for four years.
In addition to the boos, Damon was showered with dollar bills as Red Sox fans considered him to be a sell-out. This is a classic example of how fans react when someone leaves their beloved team for a hated rival.
Damon also went 0-for-4 in his return.
4. Knuckle Sandwich
The Yankees owned a 3-0 lead over their rivals on July 24th, 2004 as the game progressed into the third inning at Fenway.
In that same inning, Red Sox right-hander Bronson Arroyo nailed A-Rod with a fastball in the left arm and the slugger didn’t seem to fond of the hit-by-pitch.
While walking slowly towards first base, A-Rod had a unique choice of words for catcher Jason Varitek who made his shove it, literally.
Varitek shoved his glove into the face of the Yankees’ third baseman initiating a bench-clearing brawl.
The photo of Rodriguez getting a glove to the face would be an instant classic but the brawl arguably sparked the Sox to a come-from-behind victory.
3. The Steal
Dave Roberts probably had the most intense and clutch stolen bases in Red Sox, maybe even baseball, history.
In game four of the 2004 ALCS facing elimination, Kevin Millar made his way on base with a walk following Roberts being called on to pinch run.
After numerous pick-off attempts by Mariano Rivera, Roberts took off for second and just beat the throw by Posada.
Following the intense stolen base, scored the tying run after Bill Mueller singled up the middle. That forced extra innings where David Ortiz would hit a walk-off home run.
Roberts’ steal arguably sparked the historical series comeback by the Red Sox who were down 3-0 in the series but was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments in Red Sox history.
2. Big Papi Becomes A Hero
On October 18-19th, 2004, Oritz would embed himself into baseball’s history books.
In the 12th inning of game four of the ALCS, Ortiz cranked a two-run bomb giving the Red Sox a 6-4 victory, helping them stave off elimination.
The very next night, Oritz stepped up to the plate yet again 4-4 tie, but this time in the bottom of the 14th inning with Johnny Damon on second.
Oritz slapped a base hit into center field to score Damon and yet again save Boston from elimination. His performances not one, but twice in the clutch not only earned himself the title of one of the most clutch hitters in history but help the Sox win their first World Series in 86-years.
1. Aaron Boone Sends The Yankees To The Fall Classic
After the Yankees managed to come back down 5-2 in game seven of the 2003 ALCS of Pedro Martinez, the ballgame carried itself into extras.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, Aaron Boone stepped up to the plate and took a Tim Wakefield knuckle-ball into the seats in left on the very first pitch to clinch the pennant for the New York Yankees.
The image of Boone rounding the bases with his hands extended outwards and Mariano Rivera crying on the mound speaks for itself. This was the greatest moments in Yankees/Red Sox history.
Do you agree with our list? Which moments from the rivalry remain in your memory? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.