If you want to sit down and debate the greatest rivalries in sports, I’m more than willing to have that conversation.
Duke vs. North Carolina, Lakers vs. Celtics, Bears vs. Packers, Ohio State vs. Michigan … all have legitimate claims to the best rivalry. But for me, it’s Yankees vs. Red Sox.
The rivalry dates back 120 years, but the intensity of the rivalry truly began with Boston trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920.
Through the years, the Yankees have won 27 World Series titles, while the Red Sox toiled away under the “Curse of the Bambino,” failing to win a championship for 86 years.
Times have changed in the rivalry since 2004, with Boston winning four World Series to the Yankees one.
The two storied organizations renew their rivalry Tuesday night in Fenway Park, in a loser-goes-home American League Wild Card matchup.
Being a lover of the history of baseball, I decided to take a look back at the top five moments between the two storied organizations. There are certainly more than five, so feel free to argue about which moments I left off.
5. Jason Varitek vs Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod entered the rivalry in 2004, traded from the Texas Rangers to New York for second baseman Alfonso Soriano. The star shortstop was the highest-paid player in baseball at the time, and coming off an MVP season in 2003. To add insult to injury, the Red Sox and Rodriguez had agreed to a deal earlier in the offseason that had fallen apart when the MLBPA stepped in and said that A-Rod could not reduce his salary to make the deal work.
So, tensions were obviously high on July 24, 2004, at Fenway Park.
Rodriguez was plunked by Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo in the elbow and had words for the starting pitcher as he walked toward first base. Catcher Jason Varitek got between the two, they exchanged words, and the brawl began.
There’s quite a bit more to come from the 2004 season, so don’t forget this moment.
4. Bucky Dent
While the Red Sox had been toiling away without a championship for decades by 1978, Bucky Dent may be the moment when Boston fans started believing in the curse.
The Yankees and Red Sox played in a winner-take-all game for the American League East crown in October of 1978 at Fenway Park. New York had closed a 14-game deficit in the division to force the tiebreaker.
With the Yankees down 2-0 in the seventh inning, Dent stepped to the plate with two men on base.
The rest is history, and the phrase “Bucky Bleeping Dent” was born.
“There’s nothing like playing in a one-game playoff,” Dent told the New York Post about Tuesday’s game. “It’s totally different from anything else. It still has the same impact [as the play-in]. You’re trying to win to go on. And it’s Boston and New York. The big thing is, you want to be mentally ready to play. Shoot, it’s the greatest thing that there is. It’s what you play for.”
3. Pedro Martinez throws down Don Zimmer
In game three of the 2003 ALCS between Boston and New York, things got completely out of hand.
It started with Pedro Martinez hitting Karim Garcia in the back up near his head with a fastball. The two exchanged words before Garcia went to first. After a double play in which Garcia went hard into second base, catcher Jorge Posada yelled at Martinez from the dugout. Martinez pointed at his head, leading many to believe that he was telling Posada that he was going to throw at his head when he came to the plate.
In the bottom half of the fourth, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens threw high and inside to Manny Ramirez — though not particularly close to his head — causing the benches to clear.
Yankees assistant coach Don Zimmer, who was 72-years-old at the time, charged Martinez, who threw Zimmer to the ground by his head.
You can watch the entire sequence below. New York would get the last laugh, which we discuss next.
2. Aaron Bleeping Boone
Boston took a 5-2 lead into the 8th inning of game seven in the 2003 ALCS, when it all fell apart for Martinez and the Red Sox.
Derek Jeter started off the rally with a one-out double, Bernie Williams drove him with a single, followed by a ground rule double by Hideki Matsui to put the tying runners on base.
What followed will forever go down in Boston sports infamy.
Manager Grady Little left a tired Martinez in to face Posada, who hit a flare over second base, scoring Williams and Matsui, tying the game at 5-5.
After three shutout innings from Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield faced Aaron Boone to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning. And with one swing of the bat, Boone forever became a Yankees legend.
1. Red Sox come back from 0-3 hole to beat Yankees, break the curse
After decades of torment, the Red Sox finally were able to get the best of the Yankees. And in a historic way.
Down three games to none in the 2004 ALCS, Boston faced the impossible challenge of becoming the first team to win a series after being down 0-3.
It started in the ninth inning of game four when Dave Roberts stole second base, and eventually scored the tying run on Bill Mueller’s single off of Mariano Rivera. David Ortiz launched a walk-off two-run bomb in the bottom of the 12th inning. The next night, Ortiz’s single in the bottom of the 14th inning sent the Red Sox back to New York.
Boston won game six 4-2, behind Curt Schilling’s epic “bloody sock” performance.
In game seven, Johnny Damon’s grand slam in the second inning put Boston up 6-0, as the Red Sox went on to win game seven 10-3.
The “Curse of the Bambino” ended shortly after in St. Louis.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.