Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Red Sox, Yankees Ready to Rumble Again in Playoffs
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
October 4, 2018

Share

NEW YORK — Fans have been waiting for another one of these rumbles: baseball’s most-bitter rivals set to tangle again, this time as 100-win heavyweights in the playoffs.
Munson vs. Fisk, Pedro vs. Popeye , A-Rod vs. Varitek (shown) and earlier this year Brock Holt vs. Tyler Austin.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees back at each other in the postseason for the first time in 14 years.
“We’re a team that can play with anybody, and we’re not afraid to go in there,” Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks said after a 7-2 wild-card win over Oakland sent New York to a best-of-five AL Division Series that starts Friday in Fenway Park.
Yankees fans were chanting “We want Boston!” during the late innings. The Red Sox tweeted “We want New York” after the final out in the Bronx.
“I think they’re ready and relish the opportunity to go up against the game’s best this year,” Yankees rookie manager Aaron Boone said of his players.
That is the same Aaron Boone whose 11th-inning homer in Game 7 of the 2003 AL Championship Series beat the Red Sox. A year later Boston overcame the Yankees and became the first major league team to bounce back from a 3-0 postseason deficit. The Red Sox went on to win their first World Series since 1918, but Boone’s drive off Tim Wakefield has not been forgotten or forgiven.

Boston Set a Club Record With 108 Wins

Boston was 10-9 against the Yankees this year and set a club record with 108 wins under new manager Alex Cora, boosted by MVP candidate Mookie Betts, slugger J.D. Martinez and ace Chris Sale. New York finished eight games back and became the first team since the 2001 Athletics to reach triple digits in wins and fail to finish first.

“It’s Yankees-Red Sox. That’s what everybody wants. That’s what they got.”David Price, Red Sox star pitcher
New York also set the major league mark for home runs, powered by the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
These teams also have a history of hitting each other.
Back on April 11, Austin charged the mound at Fenway after Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly threw at him twice, hitting Austin in the side with the second pitch. Boston players were livid Austin slid spikes-first into shortstop Brock Holt earlier in the game. A bench-clearing brawl led to suspensions and fines, but Auston won’t be around for a rematch — he was dealt to Minnesota in July.
“It’s Yankees-Red Sox. That’s what everybody wants. That’s what they got,” Red Sox star pitcher David Price said then.

A Long History of Bad Blood

Just another in a long history of bad blood between rivals a little more than 200 miles apart.
Boston player-manager Joe Cronin and New York outfielder Jake Powell fought on the field and beneath the Yankee Stadium stands in 1938, and Jimmy Piersall of the Red Sox and Billy Martin of the Yankees brawled beneath Fenway Park’s stands in 1952.
A fight broke out in 1967 at Yankee Stadium after New York’s Thad Tillotson hit Joe Foy with a pitch and Boston’s Jim Lonborg hit Tillotson — who after the scrap hit Dick Howser with a pitch.
In 1973, Thurman Munson crashed into catcher Carlton Fisk at Fenway after Gene Michael missed a bunt, and the All-Stars fought. Then at Yankee Stadium in 1976, New York’s Lou Piniella charged into Fisk at the plate, and Boston pitcher Bill Lee was body-slammed during the fighting and wound up with a broken collarbone:

A notorious brawl took place during Game 3 of the 2003 AL Championship series, when Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez threw 72-year-old Don Zimmer to the ground.
Zimmer, a former Boston manager and then a Yankees coach, ran across the infield and lunged at Martinez during the fighting.
Then the following July, Boston’s Bronson Arroyo hit New York’s Alex Rodriguez with a pitch, A-Rod stared at the pitch as he walked toward first, catcher Jason Varitek got between them and pushed the AL MVP, leading to dugouts and bullpens emptying.

The Rivals Met Again in the 2004 ALCS

That October the rivals met again in the 2004 ALCS. The Yankees took a 3-0 lead and were one inning from reaching the World Series when Mariano Rivera walked Kevin Millar and pinch-runner Dave Roberts — now the Los Angeles Dodgers manager — stole second. Bill Mueller hit a tying single and the Red Sox won 6-4 in 12 innings when David Ortiz hit a game-ending, two-run homer at 1:22 a.m.

“All empires fall sooner or later.”Larry Lucchino, Red Sox president
Boston won 5-4 the next day on Ortiz’s RBI single in the 14th inning, won Game 6 in New York 4-2 behind Curt Schilling and his bloody sock, then blew out the Yankees 10-3 in the finale.
“All empires fall sooner or later,” Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. Boston swept St. Louis in the World Series, swept Colorado four years later and beat the Cardinals in a six-game series in 2013. Over that same span, the Yankees have won just one title, in 2009.
Fast forward to this week, with the teams ready to meet again. “It’s going to be intense,” New York pitcher CC Sabathia said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

DON'T MISS

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

DON'T MISS

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

DON'T MISS

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

DON'T MISS

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

DON'T MISS

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

DON'T MISS

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

DON'T MISS

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

DON'T MISS

No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

UP NEXT

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

UP NEXT

No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits

UP NEXT

Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch

UP NEXT

Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins

UP NEXT

San Francisco 49ers Acquire Eagles Edge Rusher Bryce Huff, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

UP NEXT

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

UP NEXT

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

UP NEXT

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

2 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

7 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

9 hours ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

10 hours ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

10 hours ago

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

10 hours ago

No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits

11 hours ago

Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch

11 hours ago

Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins

11 hours ago

General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish

12 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. approved a new COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company&#...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

2 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

2 hours ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

2 hours ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

Steve Hilton, a 2026 candidate for governor, speaks at a news conference on May 31, 2025, outside Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. (GV Wire/David Taub)
7 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

9 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

10 hours ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

10 hours ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend