After 2,157 games, the greatest rivalry in the history of baseball has come to an end. For over 100 years, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been headbutting to be the best a club can be. Taking the recent performances between the two teams into consideration, that great rivalry has reached its finale.
A large part in the rivalry as we know it as today was the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees. At the conclusion of the 1919 season, Red Sox’ Harry Frazee sold legend Babe Ruth to the Yankees for over $125,000 after his breakout season. In 1919, Ruth hit 29 home runs, a foreshadowing of what would become of him in New York. By then, Ruth had developed as an elite pitcher, going 9-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 17 starts the season before the sale. After the sale, he went on to be named MVP, hitting 659 more home runs with the Yankees. That began the Curse of the Bambino.
The Curse of the Bambino began in the Red Sox’ first Ruthless season since his debut, and ran all the way to 2003. In those 83 years, New York went on to win 26 World Series titles, compared to Boston’s zero. Boston eventually redeemed themselves, going on to comeback and defeat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
In the 2004 ALCS, Boston achieved the unimaginable. Losing the series, 0-3, to none other than the Bronx Bombers, Boston came back and took the ALCS pennant. The blown series lead by the Yankees is considered as one of the greatest collapses in the history of the rivalry. The Sox went on the sweep the Cardinals in the World Series, putting an end to the Curse.
The two other occasions that the Red Sox faced each other in the postseason were the 1993 ALCS and the 2003 ALCS. In both series, the Yankees prevailed, respectively winning the series, 4-1 and 4-3. The 2003 ALCS game is well-remembered by fans of the rivalry. In Game 3 of the ALCS, Pedro Martinez drilled Yankee Karim Garcia. In the next half inning, Roger Clemens came high and tight on Manny Ramirez, with a brawl ensuing. The well-known event of Pedro Martinez vs. 72-year-old Don Zimmer took place in that half inning.
Aside from the few instances of postseason matchups, what induces such a great rivalry is the history of elite performances from the teams and rosters filled with star players. Both clubs are known for their historically above-average teams and as big spenders when it comes to players.
The Yankees have won 27 World Series rings, clearly a dominant team. The Red Sox have won eight, still a respectable number, considering the Curse of the Bambino. 15 times the Red Sox have come in first place in their division, while the Yanks have finished first a jaw-dropping 47 times. Both of these performances have earned these clubs a place in the “elite” category in baseball fans across the nation.
Going head-to-head, the Yankees have the edge over the Sox, with a 1,164-979-14 (.540) record in the history of their rivalry. In Derek Jeter-era, the Red Sox are a shy-bit better, but the Yankees still lead them, 176-158 (.530) in 334 matchups.
Transitioning to the second part of what makes a rivalry great, the players of both clubs must be evaluated. It is the greats that have been members of one of these clubs that has fueled the rivalry through all these years. Aside from the Babe, some names that come to mind for the Sox are Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Lefty Grove, Bobby Doerr, Luis Tiant, and so on. In the Jeter-era, stand-out players are Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and others. Some Yankee greats that must be mentioned are Ruth, of course, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Randy Jackson, Goose Gossage, and Mickey Mantle. In the Jeter-era, there is Jeter, Alex Rodriguez (debatable), Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and other members of the championship team of 2009.
Focusing on the players in the modern-day Jeter-era, there is something that many of them have in common: they are gone. This is where the title comes into play; the reasoning of why this great rivalry has concluded. Nomar left the Sox in 2004, Manny left in 2008, Pedro left in 2004, Damon left (for the Yankees) in 2005, Mo and Pettitte (re-)retired at the conclusion of 2013, A-Rod got suspended for a season, and then there was Jeter (and Papi). Derek Jeter’s final season truly brought a new aspect of respect from Boston fans into the rivalry, but his retirement contributed to the rivalry dying off.
Derek Jeter brought a whole new level of dedication into the rivalry. Brought up in 1995 by the Yankees, he spent his entire career in New York, leading a career full of (not PED’s) leadership, hard work, and talent (as cliche as it sounds). Aside from his debut year and 2013, Jeter played at least 119 games a season for his entire career. He was Rookie of the Year, a 14-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove and four-time Silver Slugger award winner. He had the sixth most hits in the history of the MLB, which is quite an achievement. If there is one player from recent years to be the face of baseball, it would be Mr. Jeter himself.
Going back to the topic of the end of a rivalry, this was caused by, not only the exiting of elite players, but by the decline in performance of the two clubs. The Red Sox had a miracle year in 2013, going from worst to first (and now back to worst). The Yankees have not done any better, finishing third in 2013 and 12 games out of first place in 2014 (second place).
Another reason the rivalry isn’t what it used to be is because of the unfortunate use of performance-enhancing drugs. Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, whom tenured with Boston and New York, was involved in an ugly trial full of lying and obstruction of justice, all caused by his use of anabolic steroids. Another more recent case of steroids in the rivalry was with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, who has signed the third and fourth largest contracts in the history of any sport (totaling $527 million) was suspended for the entire 2014 season for what has came to be known as the Biogenesis scandal, which is still unfolding. There is no telling what will happen with him in the upcoming season, but he certainly will not be viewed as in the same manner for hitting an average of 42 home runs a season from 1998 to 2010. Yankees players were not the only to have used PEDs, however. Manny Ramirez was an All-Star from 1998 to 2008, and he added a whole new feistiness to the rivalry (that is, until he was traded to the Dodgers in 2008, and suspended for steroid use in 2009).
Another piece of this rivalry that adds complexion is the switching between these teams of players, or as die-hards will call them, “traitors.” These “traitors” are players that have voluntarily switched from one team to another.
One of the most infamous “traitors” is Johnny Damon. A year after winning Boston’s first World Series in 83 years, Damon followed the money and signed a $52 million contract for four years to join the Yanks. He chose the Yankees over the Red Sox’ three-year offer, as they would not pursue five years. To add to that, Damon had previously professed his loyalty to Boston, making the statement, “"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they're going to come after me hard. It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need,” and then doing exactly what he promised not to.
Jacoby Ellsbury is another player dubbed “traitor”, as he signed a $153 million contract with the Yankees for seven years, leaving the Red Sox. Ellsbury had come up with the Red Sox in 2007, finishing third in rookie of the year voting, being named an All-Star, Gold Glove award winner, and Silver Slugger with Boston. He also came in second place in MVP voting in 2011. His switch was more expected, however, as it was known that he wanted a big contract the Red Sox were not willing to offer.
There were other players who went from Boston to New York, though their switches were either out of their control or not as frowned upon. During a game in the 2012 season, Kevin Youkilis was traded from the Sox to the Yanks, the first trade the two teams had organized since 1997. After becoming fifth on Boston’s all-time win list, Luis Tiant signed a two-year contract with the Yankees, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of Boston fans who had mixed feelings for him: not sure whether to appreciate all he had done, hate him for selling out, or feel indifferent despite his great feats. Other players who made the switch were Babe Ruth, obviously, as well as Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens.
The rivalry has also seen its fair share of steroid use. As mentioned previously, Roger Clemens was caught using steroids, denouncing his status between the Red Sox and Yankees. Alex Rodriguez is also a big piece of that. Alex Rodriguez has been a focal point of hatred by Red Sox fans since his joining the Yankees at the beginning of 2004. He has clashed many times with Boston, including being involved in a very well-known photo of a brawl with Boston catcher Jason Varitek. In 2013, Rodriguez was suspended 162 games for his steroids use. He is not nearly at the level he was before being suspended, and there is talk of him being released by Memorial Day of 2015 by the Yankees. Rodriguez’ downfall has contributed to the ending of the rivalry.
Derek Jeter’s final game at Fenway Park marked the end of the rivalry. In his farewell tour, Red Sox and Yankees fans alike were saluting the ending of a great player, but an even greater rivalry. In the future, the main forces that have driven this rivalry throughout all these years will be in absence. The retiring of greats in the modern-day era, or the downfall of not-so-greats in A-Rod’s case, as well as the steroid use that didn’t used to be and the lack of the superior teams that once were in New York and Boston have led the the ending of the great rivalry, once and for all.