Yankees vs. Redsox Rivalry

Two sworn enemies, both at least hundreds of years old, and neither of them planning on reconciling their differences. They live close to each other, yet never get along, and whenever they get together, there is usually a fight. I’m talking about thousands of people, living in the same area, and still being arch-enemies. If you thought I was talking about the Civil War, you were wrong, and I’m sorry. This rivalry that I’m speaking of is that of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. I’ve done extensive research on Baseball-almanac.com and both the team websites, so if anybody here ever wanted to know anything about the history of these two teams, how the rivalry started, and where the rivalry has gone since the beginning, today is your day.

According to Baseball-almanac.com, the Boston Red Sox came into the American League, which was the official professional baseball league back then, in 1901. Within two seasons of playing, the Red Sox won their first World Series in 1903 led by the legendary Cy Young, the right handed pitcher that set the path for many great pitchers to come. The Boston Red Sox, then the Braves, adopted the name “Red Sox,” in 1907. They went on to win championships in 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918. In 1914, the Sox debuted a left-handed pitcher who went by the name of Babe Ruth. Winning a total of 89 games within the next 6 years established Babe as one of the premier pitchers in the majors. He also had quite a knack for hitting home-runs and in 1919 made a name for himself amongst the sluggers when he hit a remarkably unheard of 29 homer’s. By the end of the year, the finances of the Sox’s owner then, Harry Frazee, were spiraling quickly. In an effort to boost his financial record, Frazee made what is now the most infamous deal in the history of Major League Baseball: he sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. This was an abomination to the Sox fans and from this deal came the infamous “curse of the Bambino” which was a curse the Red Sox felt was bestowed on them once they got rid of the Babe. From then on, the Sox were plagued with utterly disappointing seasons. Despite the amazing players that crossed their paths, and the amazing title bid’s they would make, they would always seem to lose their chances in heart-breakers. That is, until 2004 when they finally broke this “curse,” and won their first championship since 1918. As of now, the curse is gone, and the Red Sox had a new beginning to start on. No more blaming anyone else for their losses!

According the New York Yankee’s team website, the Yanks began their careers as the New York Highlanders, in 1903, when they were bought by a couple New York bartenders for 8,000 dollars, planning on moving an old Baltimore franchise to the north. The Yankees, who were known as the Highlanders until 1912 weren’t a team to be reckoned with until the year of 1920, when they made a tremendous deal to sign a young charismatic pitching Ace and slugger named Babe Ruth. From then on, things were to change. Along with Babe, the Yankees began to rake in talent, left and right, like the great first baseman Lou Gehrig and the legendary outfielder Joe DiMaggio. Thus begins the Yankees dynasty. They won three straight pennants making a challenge for the title from 1921 to 1923. They won their first in 1923 when they first moved into Yankee Stadium. From then on, it was pure domination. The Yanks won again in 1927 and ’28, then ’32, again in ’36, all the way through ’39. From 1941 to 1950 they won 5 more championships. They won championships from ’51 to ’53. Then again in ’56, and from then until ’62 they won 4 titles. They won again in ’77 and ’78. After that, they went on a sudden drought. The next 16 years were years of reconstruction, and by 1996, the Yankees were back to their old ways. They won 3 more championships between then and 2000. The Yankees haven’t won yet this decade, but according to their history, they are due up soon.

If you look at the history of those two teams, they both have one thing specifically in common: Babe Ruth. Once the Yankees got Ruth, they prospered, and Boston fell behind…horribly. It was a drastic turn of events, seeing as back at the turn of the 20^th century, the Red Sox were then the best team to play ever, setting winning records non-stop, yet by 1920, they switched spots with the Yanks, and became the laughing stock of the MLB. From then on, things became rough, and whenever the team’s got together, there was always a major brawl. The two teams would continuously be in the race to win the pennant, and the Yankees would usually come out on time. You can obviously see why these two teams would dislike one another. This rivalry has been the center of many baseball fans and baseball player’s lives. There are still players that even after retirement, still dislike the other team. Even the fans are affected. There have been countless accounts where there have been legitimate fights over the two teams. In one instance, in 2004, the day after the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series; there was a man who killed his two friends in a tussle involving this ongoing quarrel. In another case, after this Curse-Breaking win, there were people rioting in the streets in Boston whom were being contained by policeman got a little out of control. A woman was shot and killed in the middle of the celebrations in an accident. As you can see, things may get out of hand with this rivalry. It even takes over the conscious’s of the players and leads to extremely unprofessional acts.

The “original brawl,” occurred on May 30, 1938, when Red Sox player and manager Joe Cronin and Yankees Outfielder Jake Powell broke out in a fight beneath the stands in front of thousands of fans in Yankee stadium. Perhaps one of the most infamous brawl in baseball history, on May 20, 1976, the Yankees Thurman Munson, as he was rounding the bases, collided with Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, which ignited in a huge fight where the two were ejected from the game and fined generously. Although there were many instances of fights in between ’76 and ’03, this brawl seems its overshadowed all the others. In an American League Championship game against the Yankees, a great brawl broke out where the Yankees 73 year old bench coach, Don Zimmerman lunged at the Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez. Martinez moved out the way and threw Zimmerman down, which ignited an even bigger brawl. On July 24, 2004, the Yankees third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and exchanged heated words with Sox catcher Jason Varitek. The two began fighting and caused a bench clearing brawl. It seems as though the two teams have no shame, and find it worth the while to fight each other.

All in all, I see this rivalry as the biggest in the sports world, period. It’s had a thorough history and it’s the best rivalry because it’s two of the most established franchises in the game, who always bring their top game whenever they play. The Red Sox – Yankees Rivalry will never end because the tradition has carried on for almost 100 years.