There is no better baseball rivalry than the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and there is never a dull moment.
Wow, didn’t the latest bout between the rivals give you nostalgia? What a way to revitalize the fire in the two franchises. For once, the pitcher got some good hits in. Also, Red Sox fans got to see a Bean Town beat down thanks to Joe Kelly. The hatred between the two clubs has been dormant for a while. Now, it seems to be right back on track.
This past brawl was a pretty good one, but not the best. You know what was the best when Alex Rodriguez got his from Jason Varitek in 2004. With so much energy and tension, the clock was ticking before a fuse blew. After the Red Sox deflating loss to the Yankees in October the year prior, Boston was ready to return the favor.
Starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo was on the mound that day, and he decided to plunk A-Rod right on the elbow. When Rodriguez wouldn’t let it go, Varitek stepped in.
"“I told him, in choice words, to get to first base,” Varitek said at the time, via ESPN. “And then it changed from him yelling at Bronson to [us] yelling at each other, and then things got out of hand.”"
Tensions flared, emotions were flying, and Fenway Park was rocking. It was absolute chaos, and it was fun. That momentum turned into the Red Sox favor, and they ultimately made the greatest comeback ever. The highlight was A-Rod getting stuffing before Thanksgiving, in the form of Varitek’s catcher’s mitt. It was great to see Boston take their anger out on the hated Yankees.
The Red Sox were the grumbling underdogs that no one thought would take down the dynasty of the Yankees. They always wanted it that way, and the fans embraced it. That tops the list in heat ups versus the two teams because of the time. The latest one was too early in the year, and Boston took over the AL East two years in a row.
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With that said, this rivalry has cracked up to all it’s supposed to be. The clubs are both competitive, they have great players, and they will be suitors on the star free agent market next winter. Relieving 2004 isn’t a bad thing at all, as it could be a precursor for what’s ahead this season.