First Pitch: What makes Yankees-Red Sox the best rivalry in baseball?
By Mark Powell
Rivalry preview: Which modern-day Red Sox players do Yankees fans hate the most?
Recency bias surely plays a role in the Yankees’ hatred of their division rival, especially given Boston’s recent success. Four World Series runs, several of which included wins over New York, make that hatred viable.
But who do Yankees fans hate the most? To get better insight there, we spoke with Adam Weinrib of Yanks Go Yard.
Dustin Pedroia: “If he’s on your team, you love him, but if he’s not, you hate him,” right? Well…not really! I hated every try-hard I’ve ever met who was exactly like him, on both opposing high school baseball teams and my own. He really, really, really, really wanted everyone to know he was great and he really, really, really wanted you to notice how hard he worked. No thanks.”
Curt Schilling: “If the Yankees were ruthless enough to bunt on him in Game 6 when he rubbed Heinz on his socks, you’d never know his name. You’d be like, “Didn’t that Nazi used to pitch for the Phillies at some point? I can’t remember. Anyway, he’s a true, actual Nazi.” The realization that they once rooted for Schilling should have every Red Sox fan questioning their entire existence. Not sure it does.”
JD Martinez: “Remember when JD Martinez claimed he struggled so much throughout 2020 not because he was aging, but because he wasn’t able to gain access to the video room? Now he nearly leads baseball in home runs again. What’s, uh…what’s in that video room, man? What’s…what’s going on there, man?”
Alex Cora (honorable mention): “Special shoutout to Alex Cora, who was gifted a 60-game vacation by his dream job after being suspended for cheating. Surely, he only cheated in one city and not two after he was given a promotion. Yes. That is what happened. Everyone believes this.”