One of the most storied rivalries in all of sports is the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees baseball teams. They first played each other with their current names in 1913, but it truly began in 1919 when the former Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold pitcher/outfielder Babe Ruth to the Yankees for the princely sum of $125,000. That would be worth $1,584,794 today, still a low amount of money to pay for potentially the greatest baseball player of all time. That trade turned the Yankees into the powerhouse of the MLB and sent the Red Sox into an 86-year world series drought in which the Yankees won it all 22 times.
The Yankees, despite losing in the last matchup, the AL wild-card game, are leading the all-time series 1,232 to 1,033. They also have a large edge in world series victories, 27-9. Although the Yankees are in the running for the greatest sports franchise of all time, or at least the greatest playoff franchise of all time, the Red Sox have given them a run for their money in October plenty of times. For example, when the Sox beat the Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship in seven games. That brought about headlines such as the one pictured below, as the Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals to win the 100th World Series. They also won these two teams’ most recent meeting, the AL Wild Card game. The Sox ace, Nathan Eovaldi, pitched a great game, giving up just four hits and one earned run. Gerritt Cole for the Yankees was pulled after just two innings and gave up three earned runs. Xander Bogarts got the Red Sox bats going with a two-run home run in the first and they didn’t look back from there. Another home run and some great pitching from Eovaldi later, and the Sox were headed to the divisional round. Despite losing this last one, the Yankees have had their share of postseason victories over the Sox, including the 2003 AL Championship, which they won in seven games. Joe Torre was managing the Yankees back then, and he won four World Series in his career. Mariano Rivera was the series MVP, coming up huge for the Yankees with a 1.13 ERA in four appearances. Derek Jeter, Roger Clemons, and Jason Giambi were other key players for the Yankees.
The root of all rivalries is, of course, the players. Two players who may not have started this rivalry but certainly fueled the fire, are Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. Despite Roger Clemens winning seven Cy Young awards to Martinez’s three, Pedro Martinez is typically recognized as a better player. Former Braves infielder Mark Lemke said, "What really catches your eye is how small he (Pedro Martinez) is. You go up against Roger Clemens, even if you've never seen him before, and you say, 'This guy looks overpowering.' You wouldn't say that about Pedro Martinez."
This amazing rivalry isn’t going anywhere as both teams continue to bring in great players and coaches to continue the amazing traditions that both franchises carry from year to year. The Red Sox and the Yankees will meet 15 times next season, pending any schedule changes, and there is no doubt that those games will be heated affairs and very fun to watch.
Image Source: NBC Sports