A Century of Bad Blood: Inside Baseball's Fiercest Feud

"Records stand until they're broken" -Yogi Berra

New England fans have seen some great rivalries over the years including Celtics-Lakers, Bruins-Canadiens, and Patriots-Jets to name a few. Nothing in team sports, however, compares to Red Sox-Yankees ("The Rivalry"). Every game is do or die. The Rivalry consumes the lives of fans on both sides. Births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and funerals devolve into utter chaos if both Red Sox and Yankee fans are present.

In the Beginning

The first meeting of The Rivalry was on May 7, 1903 between the Boston Americans and the New York Highlanders at Huntington Avenue Grounds, which is now Northeastern University (Don Orsillo's alma mater, as Jerry Remy loved to mention). Starting in 1914, the Red Sox had this pitcher named Babe Ruth who was also a pretty good hitter. The Americans/Red Sox won 5 World Series in the early years, 3 with Ruth. The Babe slashed .308/.413/.568/.981 and went 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA and 483 strikeouts with Boston. Apparently, that wasn't good enough because he was famously sold to the Yankees for a Broadway play in 1919. The rest is history.

The Ugly Years

Ruth in New York triggered a championship run like no one has ever seen. Over the course of the next 80 years, the Yankees won 26 World Series. They had players like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Ford, Berra, Mantle, Maris, Guidry, Jackson, Jeter, Rivera, and Pettitte. The list of great players goes on and on. The Red Sox had many great players in their own right, but they were never a match for the Yankees. The Red Sox went to four World Series during that period and lost all of them in 7 games. The Curse of the Bambino was born (Shaughnessy).

Bucky F**king Dent

One of the most infamous games during this period was 1978 game 163. Both teams finished 99-63. The game was held on Monday October 2 in Fenway Park. This was it. This was the day that the Red Sox would end the Evil Empire once and for all. It was Ron Guidry (25-3 and the eventual Cy Young winner) vs Mike "Taco" Torrez. The Sox were up 2-0 in the 7th inning and then all hell broke loose. With 2 on and 2 out, Bucky Dent, choking up about 3 inches on the bat, who had hit all of 4 home runs that year, hit one over the Monster. Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson tacked on runs against Bob Stanley. Yaz and Lynn drove in 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th against Goose Gossage. He allowed two runners in the bottom of the ninth but got flyouts from Rice and Yaz to end it with a final score of 5-4. I remember watching the game with my father (no kid in New England went to school that day). We shut it off and never spoke of it again.

Reverse the Curse

The start of the 21st Century wasn't much better. The 2003 ALCS went to game 7 in extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th against Tim Wakefield, Aaron F**king Boone hit one out to left to punch their ticket to the World Series (which they lost). Theo Epstein, in his first year as GM, fired Grady Little. The next year, down 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS, some Red Sox fans (I won't say who) said they would never see a championship in their lifetime, swore off baseball, and turned off the TV for good.

This is where an anomaly was inserted into the Matrix. The entire fabric of The Rivalry changed. Dave Roberts stole the base, Joe West called him safe, and the Curse was broken. The Red Sox went on to win 4 titles in the 21st Century and the Yankees squeaked out one. The Rivalry has had two playoff meetings since 2004, both won by the Red Sox. They won the 2018 ALDS 3-1 enroute to the World Series and also the 2021 wildcard game.

By the Numbers

The Yankees have a 1,246 to 1,033 win advantage all time over the Red Sox. They have won the AL and later AL East 50 times to 18 by the Red Sox. They have won 27 World Series to 9 by the Red Sox. Yankee fans have alot to crow about but not too much lately. Since 2004 it's been the Red Sox dynasty. Guess what? None of that matters today. Today they are fighting for an AL Wild Card spot. Neither team is a powerhouse. Both teams have flaws. None of that matters either. It will be a knockdown, drag out at Yankee Stadium this weekend. The games will take 8 hours. There will be cussing and gnashing of teeth. ESPN will hype the Sunday night game as only ESPN can do. This is about as close to war as you can get on a baseball field. So, as Hawk Harrelson would say, sit back, relax, and strap it down.