Yankees–Red Sox rivalry

Infobox Sports rivalry
title=New York Yankees–Boston Red Sox
teamAlogo=
teamBlogo=
firstmeeting=April 26, 1901
mostrecent=September 28, 2008
nextmeeting=April 24, 2009
total=1,774
series=993–778 Yankees
largestvictory=22–1 Yankees (June 19, 2000)
regularseason=982–770 Yankees
postseason=
*1978 AL East Playoff, Yankees win
*1999 American League Championship Series, Yankees won 4 games to 1
*2003 American League Championship Series, Yankees won 4 games to 3
*2004 American League Championship Series, Red Sox won 4 games to 3

The New York Yankees–Boston Red Sox rivalry is one of the longest, most bitter and most storied rivalries in American professional sports. For more than 100 years, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees of the American League have been chief rivals, compounded by their geographic proximity. "USA Today" has dubbed it "the fiercest rivalry in sports."cite news|last=Lopresti |first=Mike |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2004-10-11-lopresti_x.htm |title=Red Sox, like rival Yankees, are among baseball's wealthy elite |work=USA Today |date=2004-10-11 |accessdate=2006-11-03]

Since the inception of the wild card team and an added Division Series, the American League East rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series three times, the Yankees winning twice in 1999 and 2003, and the Sox winning in 2004. In addition, the teams have met in the last regular season series of a season to decide the title, in 1904 (where the Red Sox won), 1949 (where the Yankees won) and in 2005 (where the Yankees won). The teams also finished tied for first in 1978, when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff for the division title. The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having had a 14-game lead over the Yankees at one point in the season.

Since the Red Sox' victory over the Yankees in seven games in the 2004 American League Championship Series, the rivalry has become lop-sided in a different direction, as the Red Sox have won 2 World Championships during that time.cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8479-2005Mar28.html |title=Red Sox-Yankees is Difficult to Top |date=2005-03-30 |last=Sheinin |first=Dave |work=Washington Post |accessdate=2006-11-05]

History

Since before the start of the American Revolution, Boston and New York have shared an intense rivalry as cities. [ [http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2007/03/30/boston_keeps_fires_of_rivalry_burning_1175256775/ Boston keeps fires of rivalry burning - Boston.com ] ] While the Sons of Liberty stirred up the flames of revolution in Boston [ [http://www.americansonsofliberty.com/sonsofliberty.htm Sons of Liberty ] ] , Tories (loyalists) in New York argued that America should stay loyal to the crown [ [http://www.nyhistory.net/~drums/kingsmen_02.htm The King's Men: Loyalist Units in New York and North America ] ] . When the Siege of Boston ended, most citizens of Boston celebrated wildly (and still celebrate Evacuation Day to this day). George Washington later faced defeat in New York, which remained under British control until the end of the war.

For more than a century afterwards, Boston was arguably the educational, cultural, artistic, and economic power in the United States. [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/tour/bostontxt.html Tocqueville's Boston ] ] Boston's location as the closest American port to Europe and its concentration of elite schools and manufacturing hubs helped maintain this image for several decades. During this time period, New York was often looked down upon as the upstart, over-populated, dirty cousin to aristocratic and clean Boston. New York's economic power soon outpaced Boston's in the 1800s due to its rapid population growth and terminus of the Erie Canal, along with massive growth in the manufacturing, shipping, insurance and financial services businesses. By the start of the 20th century this dynamic had completely shifted as New York had become the focus of American capitalism (especially on Wall Street), and the change was reflected in the new national pastime.

The Red Sox were one of the most successful teams in baseball at the turn of the 20th century and through the following two decades. The team won the inaugural World Series in 1903 and four more between 1912 and 1918. During this period, the Yankees were often called the Highlanders, in reference to playing their games in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Although physically located on a hilltop, the Highlanders routinely finished near the bottom of the standings. The one notable exception came in 1904, when the Highlanders, led by pitcher Jack Chesbro who won a record 41 games, met the Boston Americans on the final game of the season to decide the AL pennant. Chesbro threw a wild pitch and Boston won the pennant, but there was no World Series that year as the Giants refused to play. That would be the last time in a hundred years that the Red Sox would defeat the Yankees in a title-deciding game.

In 1916, the Red Sox were purchased by Harry Frazee on credit for $500,000. Though the team won the World Series in 1918, Frazee was hard-pressed to pay off the loans he accrued by purchasing the team and by producing Broadway shows. After the Red Sox finished sixth in the American League in 1919, Frazee sold several Red Sox players, including pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Frazee received $125,000 and a loan of $300,000—secured on Fenway Park, the Red Sox' home stadium—for Ruth.

Ruth's arrival in New York simultaneously launched the Yankee dynasty while ravaging the Red Sox. While the Red Sox' five World Series titles were a record at the time, 1918 would be the team's last championship for 86 years. Meanwhile, Ruth's home run hitting prowess anchored the Yankee line-up, which became known as "Murderers' Row" in the late 1920s. After his trade to the Yankees, Ruth's new team reached the World Series seven times during his career in New York, winning four. This abrupt reversal of fortunes for the Red Sox marked the beginning of the supposed "Curse of the Bambino". But it was not the Ruth deal alone that reversed the fortunes of both clubs. [ [http://www.redsoxvyankees.com/timeline2a.html The Curse of Ed Barrow - RedSoxvYankees.com] ]

Robert W. Creamer, in "Babe: The Legend Comes to Life" (Simon & Schuster, 1974, p.209), reports that " [the] loan was made and relations between the two clubs continued to be cordial, with Frazee sending player after player to the Yankees over the next few seasons for more and more cash. The Red Sox soon became a baseball disaster area, finishing dead last nine times in eleven seasons." Among others, Wally Schang, Everett Scott, Carl Mays, Waite Hoyt, Joe Bush and Sam Jones went from the Sox to the Yanks in the next one to three years, along with Ed Barrow, the former Red Sox manager who became the Yankees' general manager and empire-builder for the first quarter-century of the Yankees' dynasty.

From 1920 through 2003, the Yankees won 26 World Series championships and 39 pennants, compared to only four pennants for the Red Sox. To make matters worse, in every year that the Red Sox won the pennant — 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986 — they lost the World Series four games to three, leaving them with no World Series titles. During this time, the Red Sox finished second in the standings to the Yankees on twelve occasions—in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1978, and every year from 1998 to 2003. During the 84 year period, the Yankees finished with a better regular-season record than the Red Sox 66 times, leading one sportswriter to quip that the Yankees' rivalry with the Red Sox was much like the rivalry "between a hammer and a nail".

The 1949 season, about which books have been written, saw a dramatic finish between the teams. The Yankees were painted as the underdogs. A Willard Mullin cartoon showed a broken and battered Yankees player trying to "bar the door" of the "First Place" house. Already sitting inside was a Red Sox player wearing a derby, holding an "eviction notice", and telling the Yankee, "Expecting someone, Bub?"

The Red Sox found themselves up by one game with two games left against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won both of them to capture the pennant, and then won the World Series, starting a record run of five straight World Series titles for the Yankees.

In 1978, the Red Sox, led by Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn and catcher Carlton Fisk, seemed as if they were destined for a trip to the Fall Classic for the second time in the 70s. They led the Yankees in the standings by 14½ games by mid-July, less than three months to go in the regular season. The Yankees turned their season around just as the Red Sox seemed to collapse. By September 7, the Yankees had closed the once seemingly insurmountable 14½ game deficit to only 4 games just in time for a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees won all four games in the series by the scores of 15–3, 13–2, 7–0 and 7–4 for a combined score of 42–9. This series became known as the "Boston Massacre". On September 16, 1978, the Yankees held a 3½ game lead over the Red Sox but the Sox won 12 of their next 14 games(and their last eight in a row) to overcome that deficit and finish in a first place tie with the Yankees with identical 99–63 records. A one-game playoff was scheduled in Boston to determine who would win the AL East pennant for 1978.

Boston placed former Yankee Mike Torrez on the mound, while the Yankees countered with the Cy Young Award winner from that year, Ron Guidry, who took a 24–3 record into the game. The Sox led 2–0 going into the top of the 7th, when Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent hit a two-out, three-run home run over Fenway's Green Monster to take a 3–2 lead. It was just his fifth home run of the season. The Yankees added another run that inning, and in the eighth, Reggie Jackson made the score 5–2 with a solo home run to dead center. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice. They rallied again in the ninth, only to come up short when Yastrzemski popped out to third baseman Graig Nettles with runners on second and third, ending the game. The Yankees won 5–4. New York went on to defeat Kansas City in the ALCS and Los Angeles in the World Series for their second straight World Series title.

In 1999, the Yankees and Red Sox faced each other for the first time in the ALCS. The Yankees were the defending World Series Champions and in the midst of a run of three consecutive World Championships, while Boston had not appeared in the ALCS since 1990. Despite intense buildup to this historic, first-ever postseason meeting between the two longtime rivals, the series proved to be somewhat anticlimatic, with New York winning four games to one. The lone bright spot for the Red Sox came in Game 3 at Boston's Fenway Park, in what had been a much anticipated pitching matchup of former Red Sox star Roger Clemens, who was now pitching for the Yankees, and Boston ace Pedro Martínez. Martinez struck out twelve and did not allow a run through seven innings of work; Clemens was hit hard, giving up five earned runs and only lasting into the third inning of a 13–1 Red Sox victory. However, the Yankees rebounded to win games 4 and 5, clinching the American League pennant and advancing to the Series, where they swept the Atlanta Braves. The loss to Martinez was the Yankees' only postseason loss, as the team went 11–1.

In 2003, the two teams faced off in the ALCS for the second time. The intensity of the series was highlighted by a protracted dispute in Game 3 which devolved into a bench-clearing altercation in which Yankees coach Don Zimmer charged Boston ace Pedro Martínez and was shoved to the grass. Tied at three wins apiece after the first six grueling and fervent games, Boston held a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 7 at Yankee Stadium in New York, with Martinez on the mound. The Yankees began a one-out rally with three straight hits that cut the deficit to 5-3 and left runners on second and third base. It seemed that Martinez had tired, but Boston manager Grady Little decided to leave him in the game. This decision immediately backfired when the next batter, New York catcher Jorge Posada, blooped a double into center field that scored both runners and tied the game. In the bottom of the eleventh inning, third baseman Aaron Boone, batting .161 in the postseason to that point, hit a series-ending home run into the left field stands, winning the Yankees their 39th American League pennant.

The tone for 2004 was set early when new Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who confounded the Yankees in the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, showed up at an ice hockey game in Boston wearing a "Yankee hater" hat.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2379891 |title=Hating the Yankees can be good for business |last=Rovell |first=Darren |publisher=ESPN.com |date=2006-03-22 |accessdate=2006-11-04] That year, the Red Sox won an eventful season series against the Yankees. A 13-inning comeback win for the Yankees on July 1 was punctuated by a catch by Derek Jeter, who ran and dove into the stands at full speed and came out with facial lacerations, Pokey Reese made an identical catch earlier in the game that is oft overlooked. The Red Sox had their own memorable comeback win on July 24, triggered by a fight between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek and a subsequent bench-clearing brawl. Despite their success in the rivalry series, the Red Sox still finished second to the Yankees in the AL East for the seventh straight season. Both teams would advance to the ALCS for the second straight year.

The Yankees started out strong, winning the first three games, and putting an exclamation point on their Game 3 victory with a 19–8 win. No team in the history of baseball had ever won a best of seven series after being down three games to none. Entering the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 at Fenway, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera came in to close out a 4–3 victory and a series sweep. But after a leadoff walk, pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second and came around to score on an RBI single by Bill Mueller. The Red Sox would win the game in the bottom of the 12th inning on a home run by David Ortiz. Game 5 featured another extra-inning Boston comeback, as the Red Sox tied the game in the 8th inning, and won it in the 14th. In Game 6, Curt Schilling, who had undergone ankle surgery during the series, returned to pitch seven innings of one-run ball in what would be dubbed "the bloody sock game." (Stitches from Schilling's surgery opened during the game.) The Red Sox completed their unprecedented comeback with a blowout win in Game 7, and went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four games for the franchise's first World Series title in 86 years.

With the World Series triumph by the Red Sox, many pronounced the so-called "Curse of the Bambino" to be dead and buried.

During the 2005 season, Yankee outfielder Gary Sheffield was involved in an altercation with a Red Sox fan at Fenway Park. The fan was ejected and was stripped of his season tickets, while Sheffield was not punished, as MLB ruled that the fan instigated the altercation. [cite news|title=MLB decides against punishing Sheffield|publisher=Boston Globe|author=Chris Snow|date=2005-04-21|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2005/04/21/mlb_decides_against_punishing_sheffield/|accessdate=2006-11-03] Both teams finished the year with identical 95-67 records; however, the Yankees won the division due to beating the Red Sox in head-to-head games (10-9). Both were eliminated in separate ALDS series.

In 2006, the Yankees won the AL East for the ninth time in a row, while the Red Sox finished behind the Toronto Blue Jays for third place thanks in large part to a late-season five-game sweep by the Yankees. It was the first time since 1997 that the Red Sox had not finished as the division's runnerup.

On September 28, 2007, Boston won the AL East after a win against the Minnesota Twins and a loss by the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles. This was the Sox first AL East Championship since 1995, ending the Yankees' nine-year reign in the division. The Red Sox would eventually go on to win the 2007 World Series, sweeping the Colorado Rockies in four consecutive games.

On September 23, 2008, the Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians, simultaneously clinching a playoff berth and eliminating the Yankees from the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Key moments

1901 - 1920: Red Sox glory days

*April 26, 1901: In the American League's inaugural year as a major league, Boston and Baltimore play the first game in the history of both franchises, at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Maryland. The Boston entry has no official nickname yet, but is often called the "Americans" by Boston media to distinguish them from the National League entry in Beantown. The Baltimore club is known as the "Orioles", and they will transfer to New York two seasons later. The New York media will dub the team the "Highlanders", as well as "Americans" (for the same reason as the Boston media), and then "Yankees" (a synonym for "Americans").
*May 7, 1903: In the first game between the New York Highlanders in their first year in New York, and the Boston Americans at Huntington Avenue Grounds, a New York runner knocks into Boston pitcher George Winter, prompting a fight and the first notable incident between those two teams. Boston wins the game 6–2. Boston goes on to win the very first World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates.
*October 10, 1904: The Boston Americans beat the Highlanders in the first game of a doubleheader on the last day of the season at Hilltop Park to clinch the American League pennant, after Highlanders' pitcher Jack Chesbro, who won a record 41 games that year, throws a wild pitch, allowing the winning run to score from third base. However, the New York Giants, who had already clinched the National League pennant, had already refused to play in the 1904 World Series because they did not want to play the Highlanders. Thus, there was no World Series that year.
*April 20, 1912: Boston, now known as the Red Sox (starting 1908), open Fenway Park with a game against the Highlanders (more often called "Yankees" by now). Tris Speaker hits an RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh to give the Red Sox a 7–6 victory. The victory would not be as memorible for the Titanic Sinking replaced it as the front page story. The team would win a team record 105 games and their second World Series title, defeating the New York Giants.
*September 9, 1918: The Chicago Cubs score two runs off of Babe Ruth in game 4 of the Series, snapping his then record World Series scoreless inning streak at 29⅔ innings. However, the Red Sox win the game 3–2, and go on to capture their fifth Series title, their third in the past four years, and fourth in the past seven years.
*January 3, 1920: Red Sox owner and Broadway producer Harry Frazee sells Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for cash and a loan on Fenway Park, despite Ruth having set the record for home runs with 29 in 1919. This will begin a series of deals with the Yankees that result in a long period of mediocrity for the Red Sox while the Yankees begin their dynasty.

1921 - 1940: The Bambino comes to New York

*October 5, 1921: Following Babe Ruth's record setting season—statistically, one of the greatest in major league history for a batter—the Yankees appear in and win their very first World Series game. However, Ruth gets hurt during the Series, and the Yankees eventually drop the last three games, losing the Series five games to three to the New York Giants in the last ever best-of-nine Series.
*April 18, 1923: 74,200 watch the Yankees defeat the Red Sox, 4–1, in the first game played at Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth hits the new stadium's first home run, and finishes the year with a .393 batting average, while being walked a then-record 170 times. The Yankees meet up with the New York Giants in the World Series for the third straight year, but this time they finally come out on top, winning their first World Championship.
*August 19, 1934: What was then the largest crowd in the history of Fenway Park, 46,766, witness Babe Ruth's final game at Fenway in a Yankees uniform. The Red Sox would top the Yanks that day.
*September 22, 1935: A new record for the largest crowd in Fenway's history, 47,627, watches the Red Sox lose a doubleheader to the Yankees. As noted on the official Red Sox page [ [http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/facts.jsp Fenway Facts | redsox.com: Ballpark ] ] , those large crowds cannot be matched today due to stricter laws and league rules imposed in the post-World War II era.
*May 30, 1938: Before a Yankee Stadium record crowd of 83,533, Yankees outfielder Jake Powell and Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin fight on the field and beneath the stands. Both players are fined and suspended for 10 games. The Red Sox finish second to the Yankees, who go on to sweep the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.
*October 8, 1939: The Yankees sweep the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series, winning a then-record four consecutive World Series titles and their eighth championship overall. The Red Sox again finish second to the Yankees.

1941 - 1960: Teddy Ballgame and The Yankee Clipper

*1941: The Yankees win the World Series, but the rivalry intensifies when Ted Williams of the Red Sox bats .406 (the last player to bat over .400 in a season) but loses the AL MVP race to the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio, who has a 56 game hitting streak.
*October 6, 1946: The Red Sox play in their first World Series game since 1918, having finished ahead of the Yankees in the American League for the first time since trading Babe Ruth. Since their last pennant in 1918, the Yankees had won 14 pennants and 10 World Series. Boston would eventually lose the Series four games to three to the St. Louis Cardinals.
*October 1948: Both the Yankees and the Red Sox are involved in a tight pennant race with the Cleveland Indians until the final weekend. The Red Sox eliminate the Yankees in the final series at Fenway Park, overcoming four Joe DiMaggio hits in the final game to tie Cleveland for the pennant. This situation forces the first-ever one-game playoff in AL history, which the Indians win 8–3 at Fenway Park. The city of Boston misses out on its first all-Boston World Series, as the Indians go on to defeat the Boston Braves in the Series, the last one the Indians have won to date.
*October 2, 1949: The Red Sox, having entered the final series of the season at Yankee Stadium needing only one win over the Yankees to advance to the World Series, lose 5-3 on the last day of the season after falling 5–4 the previous day, giving the Yankees their 16th American League pennant. The Yankees go on to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers for their 12th World Championship, beginning a streak of five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953 and breaking their previous streak of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939.
*May 24, 1952: Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall and Yankees second baseman Billy Martin exchange insults before a game in Boston, and end up fighting in the tunnel under the stands. The fight is broken up by Yankees coaches Bill Dickey and Oscar Melillo, and Boston starting pitcher Ellis Kinder. Piersall changes out of his bloody shirt and promptly fights with teammate Maury McDermott. The Red Sox win 5-2 with Piersall sitting the game out. [ [http://www.redsoxvyankees.com/brawls/brawl2.html - All Star Brawler Martin v. Piersall - redsoxvyankees.com] ]

1961 - 1980: Fisk vs. Munson and Bucky Dent

*October 1, 1961: On the last day of the season, Roger Maris hits his 61st home run of the year off Red Sox rookie pitcher Tracy Stallard at Yankee Stadium, breaking the previous record of 60 home runs in a season set by Babe Ruth in 1927. The Yankees win the game 1–0 and clinch their 26th American League pennant, on their way to their 19th World Series title.
*April 14, 1967: Rookie Red Sox pitcher Billy Rohr comes within a single strike of a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium before Elston Howard hits a two-out, two-strike single in the ninth. Rohr completes the one-hitter, but ultimately finishes his career with only three wins, two coming against the Yankees. Later in the year, Carl Yastrzemski becomes the last player to win the batting triple crown, leading the Red Sox to the pennant. However, they lose the Series to the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three.
*April 6, 1973: Opening the season at Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees becomes the first designated hitter in Major League history. Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant walks Blomberg in his first plate appearance of the game.
*August 1, 1973: In a game at Fenway Park, with the score tied 2–2 in the top of the 9th, Yankees catcher Thurman Munson attempts to score from third base on a missed bunt by Gene Michael. He crashes into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, and a fight erupts, with Munson punching Fisk in the face.
*September 1974: In a game at Fenway Park, Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss is struck in the right arm with a dart thrown from the stands after hitting a triple.
*May 20, 1976: Yankee outfielder Lou Piniella crashes into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk feet first in an attempt to score in the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. The two benches clear while Piniella and Fisk brawl at home plate. After the fight apparently dies down and order appears to be restored, Sox pitcher Bill Lee and Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles begin exchanging words, and another fight breaks out. Lee suffers a separated left shoulder from the tilt and misses a significant portion of the 1976 season. He would continue to pitch until 1982, but his level of performance is not the same as it was prior to the fight.
*June 18, 1977: In the middle game of what would prove to be a three-game series sweep by the Red Sox at Fenway, Yankees' manager Billy Martin pulls Reggie Jackson off the field in mid-inning for failing to hustle on a ball hit to the outfield. The extremely angry and highly-animated Martin has to be restrained by coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard from getting into a fistfight with Jackson in the dugout, on the nationally-televised Saturday afternoon game.
*September 10, 1978: The Yankees complete a four-game sweep at Fenway Park to tie the Red Sox atop the AL East, completing a 14-game comeback over the course of two months. New York outscores Boston 42–9 during the series, which becomes known as the "Boston Massacre."
*October 2, 1978: The Red Sox and Yankees, having both finished with 99–63 records, play a one-game playoff at Fenway Park for the American League East title. Bucky Dent hits a three-run home run over the Green Monster to give the Yankees the lead for good in the seventh inning. The Yankees go on to win their 32nd American League pennant and 22nd World Series title.

1981 - 2003: Yankee Dominance

*July 4, 1983: Yankee left-hander Dave Righetti throws a no-hitter against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. One of the game's greatest hitters, Wade Boggs, strikes out to end the game.
*December 15, 1992: Long-time Red Sox fan favorite Wade Boggs defects to the Yankees after eleven seasons with Boston. In 1996, he would win the World Series title that had eluded him in Boston.
*September 18, 1993: The Yankees defeat Boston at Yankee Stadium via a last-moment reprieve. Trailing 3–1, Mike Stanley's apparent fly out with 2 outs in the 9th was nullified by a fan running on to the field prior to the pitch being thrown. The umpire had called time and when play resumed, Stanley singled. The Yankees would rally to score 3 runs and win on a Don Mattingly single.
*February 18, 1999: The Yankees trade fan favorite David Wells to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens, a fan favorite with the Red Sox between 1984 and 1996. Clemens was coming off two consecutive season with the Blue Jays where he had won both the pitching triple crown and the Cy Young Award in both 1997 and 1998. He would go on to win two World Series with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000.
*May 18, 1999: Yankees manager Joe Torre returns to Fenway Park for his first game following his battle with prostate cancer. When exchanging lineup cards the Boston crowd gives Torre a long standing ovation to which he tips his cap.
*July 13, 1999: The 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is held at Fenway Park. Yankee manager Joe Torre is manager for the American League team. Nomar Garciaparra of the Red Sox starts for the American League at shortstop and receives a standing ovation from the fans after Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter comes in to replace him after they embrace. Later in the game when he came to bat, Jeter gave Garciaparra a tribute by mimicking his batting stance.
*September 10, 1999: Chili Davis' 2nd inning home run is the only hit by the Yankees against Pedro Martínez, who strikes out 17 Yankees - the most strikeouts against a Yankee team ever.
*October 13, 1999: The Yankees win game one of the ALCS against the Red Sox on a 10th inning walk-off home run by Bernie Williams off Boston reliever Rod Beck. The game is the first actual postseason meeting between the rivals because the one-game playoff in 1978 technically counted as a regular season game.
*October 16, 1999: Game 3 of the 1999 ALCS is a largely anticipated matchup between Red Sox ace (and Cy Young award winner) Pedro Martínez and former Red Sox ace Roger Clemens. Clemens is pulled in the third inning and Red Sox fans serenade him with chants of "Where is Roger?" and then a response chant of "In the shower." The Red Sox went on to win 13–1.
*October 18, 1999: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 6–1 two days later to win the ALCS four games to one, ending the first post-season series between the two rivals. The win gave the Yankees their 36th American League pennant, and the team would go on to win their 25th World Series title.
*June 19, 2000: At Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 22–1, handing Boston its most lopsided home loss ever. The Yankees score 16 runs in the 8th and 9th innings. The Yankees go on to win their 3rd consecutive World Series and 26th overall.
*May 23, 2001: David Cone, one of the key players in the them most recent Yankee dynasty, starts for the Red Sox against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to the sound of a standing ovation. It marked Cone's first return to Yankee Stadium since his leaving the team.
*September 2, 2001: Mike Mussina comes within one strike of pitching a perfect game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Carl Everett's 9th inning two-out, two-strike single is the only baserunner allowed by Mussina in a 1–0 Yankee win. Coincidentally, David Cone, the last Yankee pitcher to throw a perfect game in 1999, had started the game for the Red Sox.
*September 2001: Following the events of September 11, Boston fans display signs saying "Boston Loves New York" in a rare moment of peace between the two sides of the rivalry.
*December 26, 2002: Red Sox President Larry Lucchino labels the Yankees the "Evil Empire" after Cuban free agent José Contreras opts to sign with the Yankees instead of the Red Sox.
*October 11, 2003: In the top of the fourth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS at Fenway Park, Red Sox starting pitcher Pedro Martínez hits Yankee batter Karim Garcia, prompting an argument between the two players, which ends with both teams exiting the dugouts. In the bottom half on the inning, a pitch from Roger Clemens to Manny Ramírez is high, and the benches clear with both sides brawling. Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer charges at Martinez who then grabs his head and swings him to the ground. Later, midway through the ninth inning, Garcia and Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson fight with a Fenway Park groundskeeper in the bullpen.
*October 16, 2003: Holding a 5–2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox manager Grady Little elects to leave starter Pedro Martínez on the mound. Martinez proceeds to give up four hits and three runs in the inning, allowing the Yankees to tie the game. In the bottom of the eleventh inning, leadoff hitter Aaron Boone hits a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield to left field, ending the game and the series, giving the Yankees their 39th American League pennant.
*December 18, 2003: A potential deal that would send reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez to Boston and Red Sox slugger Manny Ramírez to Texas falls through after Rodriguez indicates he will not go against the players union, which opposes a proposed renegotiation that would have potentially reduced Rodriguez's earnings in the later years of his contract.
*February 15, 2004: Alex Rodriguez, after being courted by the Red Sox for nearly three months, is traded from the Texas Rangers to the Yankees.

2004 - current: Red Sox championships, Yankee struggles

*July 1, 2004: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 5–4 in a 13-inning contest at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees victory capped a 3-game sweep of the Red Sox which appeared to be a season breaker for Boston. The game's lasting image is of Derek Jeter, who catches a fly ball at top speed with 2 outs and runners on base before crashing three rows into the left-field stands in foul territory and emerging with a gash on his face. The only non-pitcher to not play is Jeter's counterpart, Nomar Garciaparra, once fan favorite and now tormented star, who remains on the bench throughout the game; he is later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. John Flaherty, the Yankees last position player, pinch-hits for pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, singling to left in the 13th inning to win it.

*July 24, 2004: After a long rain delay to start the game, Alex Rodríguez and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek initiate a bench clearing brawl after Rodríguez is hit by a pitch from Bronson Arroyo. Both players are ejected from the game, as are Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler and outfielder Trot Nixon for their participation in the fight with Yankees pitcher Tanyon Sturtze. Later in the game, Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller hits a walk-off home run off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera.

*October 16, 2004: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 19–8 at Fenway Park in Game 3 of the ALCS, taking a 3–0 lead in the series after the longest nine-inning postseason game in history.

*October 17, 2004: The Yankees enter the ninth inning only three outs away from their 40th American League pennant. Closer Mariano Rivera allows a walk to Kevin Millar, and a stolen base from pinch-runner Dave Roberts allows him to score on a single from Bill Mueller to tie the game in the ninth. David Ortiz keeps the Red Sox alive in the series with a two run walk-off home run in the bottom of the twelfth inning to give the Red Sox a 6–4 win.

*October 18, 2004: David Ortiz ends the longest game in ALCS history (breaking a record set two nights ago) with a walk-off single in the bottom of the fourteenth inning in Game 5. The Red Sox overcome a two-run deficit in the 8th inning, one coming from a David Ortiz home run off Tom Gordon, the other from a sacrifice fly by Jason Varitek off Rivera, who records his second blown save in as many games.

*October 19, 2004: Curt Schilling pitches seven innings for the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium and wins, 4–2, despite having sutures put into his right ankle, which causes blood to visibly soak into Schilling's sock. Yankee fans protest a reversed call - Alex Rodríguez being called out at first base after slapping the ball out of Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo's glove - by littering the field as police with riot gear took positions near the foul lines. The Red Sox become the first team in major league history to tie a series after being down 3 games to none.

*October 20, 2004: The Red Sox defeat the Yankees 10–3 in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, becoming the first team in baseball history (and only the third team in major league sports) to win a seven-game series after losing the first three games, and giving the team its 11th American League pennant, marking the first time in 100 years that Boston had defeated New York to claim the AL title.

*October 27, 2004: The Red Sox win their first World Series championship in 86 years, completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Series.

*April 11, 2005: The Red Sox receive their World Series rings at Fenway Park before they play the Yankees. In a showing of class, respect, and good sportsmanship, all of the Yankees go to the top step of the dugout to applaud the Red Sox accomplishment. During the announcement of the lineups, Red Sox fans reciprocate by giving Yankee closer Mariano Rivera (who had struggled against the Red Sox) a loud, standing ovation. Rivera laughed and tipped his cap. The Red Sox won the game 8–1.

*April 14, 2005: Yankee right fielder Gary Sheffield's cap is knocked off by a Red Sox fan while trying to pick up a fair ball in right field at Fenway Park. In response, Sheffield pushes the fan. The conflict is quickly stopped by security guards. The fan was ejected from the game for interfering with play and eventually stripped of his season tickets.

*December 20, 2005: Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon, a fan-favorite during his four years in Boston, signs a four-year, $52 million contract with the Yankees. A clean shaven Damon would return to Fenway Park the following May to a mix of cheers and boos as he tipped his helmet to the fans. Some fans threw real dollar bills at him in center field. Other fans held signs that read "Looks like Jesus, Acts like Judas, Throws like Mary," citing Damon's look while with Boston, his betrayal by signing with his old team's rival, and his notorious lack of arm strength.

*August 18- 21, 2006: The Boston Massacre 2: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 2–1 at Fenway Park, completing a five-game sweep of the Red Sox in the first five game series between the teams in 33 years, evoking memories of 1978's "Boston Massacre". The Yankees outscore the Red Sox 49-26 and push their division lead to 6.5 games over the second place Red Sox. "Boston Globe" columnist Dan Shaughnessy dubs it the "Son of Massacre".cite news|url=http://www.masslive.com/sports/republican/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/115605994853420.xml&coll=1 |title=Boston Massacre: The sequel |last=Chimelis |first=Ron |work=The Republican |date=2006-08-20 |accessdate=2006-11-03] cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/08/20/getting_that_sinking_feeling/ |title=Getting that sinking feeling |last=Shaughnessy |first=Dan |date=2006-08-20 |accessdate=2006-11-03 |work=Boston Globe] The second game of the series, which the Yankees won 14-11, took four hours and 45 minutes to complete making it the longest 9-inning game in major league baseball history. The Yankees cruised on to win the division while the Red Sox never recovered from the series loss as they failed to make the playoffs and fell to 3rd place for the first time in years behind the Toronto Blue Jays.

*November 14, 2006: The Red Sox win the bidding rights to Seibu Lions starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka with a bid of $51,111,111.11, outbidding the Yankees, among other teams. [cite web
url= http://www.japanball.com/news.phtml?id=8345
title= Matsuzaka departs for U.S. to meet agent
date= November 15, 2006
accessdate= 2006-12-15
format=
publisher= JapanBall.com] [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2662193 "Red Sox's winning bid for Matsuzaka: $51.1 million"] ] [cite web
url= http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/redSox/?p=804
author= Michael Silverman
title= Why $51,111,111.11? John Henry explains
date= December 15, 2006
accessdate= 2007-04-02
publisher= www.bostonherald.com] Twenty nine days later, Red Sox management and agent Scott Boras agree to terms on a $52 million contract.
*April 22, 2007: During the third inning of a game at Fenway Park, Manny Ramírez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell (a former Yankee prospect) and Jason Varitek hit four consecutive home runs off Yankee pitcher Chase Wright, powering a comeback from a three-run deficit and completing a three game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park for the first time since 1990.

*May, 2007: After long speculation about what team he would play for after retirement, Roger Clemens chooses to return to the Yankees as opposed to the Red Sox (where he started his career) or the Houston Astros (his hometown and last team he played for).

*September 28, 2007: The Red Sox clinch the 2007 AL East title after a win against the Minnesota Twins and a Yankees loss, marking the Red Sox' first AL East crown since 1995, and the first time since 1997 that the Yankees do not claim the division title.

*October 28, 2007: The Red Sox go on to sweep the Colorado Rockies in the World Series; their second championship in four years. Series MVP Mike Lowell remarks, upon receiving his trophy, that "the Red Sox are expected to win." Controversy erupts during the 8th inning of the final game when Alex Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras announces that Rodriguez had decided to opt-out of his contract in what was seen by many as an attempt by Boras to overshadow the series. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/2007-10-29-mlb-arod_N.htm MLB: Boras, A-Rod upstaged World Series] ] [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=3084735 A-Rod putting himself above the game] ] After reaching the post season, but failing to win the World Series for the seventh straight season (while reaching the Series twice during that interval), the Yankees part ways with long-time manager Joe Torre.

*November, 2007: The Mitchell Report is released by former United States Senator George Mitchell about the use of banned substances in the Major Leagues. Several prominent Yankees are listed in the report, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite and Jason Giambi while no "prime" players are listed for the Red Sox. Allegations of Mitchell having a conflict of interest arise as Mitchell was on the board of directors for the Red Sox prior to and proceeding the report.

*February 27, 2008: As a contrast to his players, Boston GM Theo Epstein calls Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina a "bad apple" for complaining about the Yankees 2004 trip to Japan. Epstein claimed that Mussina had used it as a crutch during the season. Mussina retorted by saying "Yeah, we used it as an excuse for winning the division." [ cite web|url = http://www.nj.com/yankees/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1204090543125670.xml&coll=1| title = Boston GM: Mussina a 'bad apple' | author = Ed Price | publisher = The Star Ledger] Later, Epstein relayed to Yankees GM Brian Cashman an apology to Mussina, who responded that "there was nothing to apologize for." [Ed Price, [http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/2008/02/theo-epstein-is-b.html "Theo Epstein is a B****,"] from "Sliding into Home: A Yankees Blog," 26 February 2008.]

*February 29, 2008 Hank Steinbrenner, the current man in charge of the Yankees, responded in a feisty manner to the popularity of Red Sox Nation in "The New York Times" newspaper's "Play Magazine" : "'Red Sox Nation?' What a bunch of (expletive) that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order." In response, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry inducted him into Red Sox Nation, complete with a membership card giving him access to an array of options, including the group newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz. Steinbrenner went on to praise Henry's handling of the Red Sox and said they would always be competitive under him. [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3273421 Boston owner grants Yanks' Steinbrenner membership in Red Sox Nation] "ESPN.com", 2 March 2008.] [ [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23415997/ Hank Steinbrenner reportedly denounces Red Sox Nation - Baseball - MSNBC.com ] ] [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3271124&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines ESPN - Hank Steinbrenner, in another outspoken moment, denounces Red Sox Nation - MLB ] ]

*September 23, 2008: With a victory over the Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox clinch a playoff berth and eliminate the Yankees from playoff contention, bringing an end to the Bombers' streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances dating back to 1995.

Rivalry outside of baseball

*Former Yankees bench coach and first baseman Don Mattingly appeared in Public Service Announcements airing on the Spike TV network advocating fathers to spend time with their children as part of the "True Dads" campaign to encourage men to take an active role in their children's lives. Mattingly jokes at the end of the commercial about the impatience of one of the characters in the commercial by calling him a Red Sox fan. [PDFlink| [http://spike.ifilm.com/spike/truedads/doc/true_dads_pr.pdf SPIKE TV CELEBRATES FATHERHOOD WITH TRUE DADS NATIONAL OUTREACH CAMPAIGN] , "spiketv.com"|23.1 KiB ; retrieved August 22, 2007]

*Late October, 2007: Former mayor of New York City Rudolph Giuliani, a staunch Yankee fan, said during his presidential campaign that he was going to cheer for the Red Sox during their World Series appearance against the Colorado Rockies. Giuliani justified his support of the Red Sox by claiming to be a fan of American League baseball. Topps would parody this in a 2008 baseball card where Giuliani is CGI inserted into a picture of the Red Sox celebrating their 2007 World Series championship as if he is celebrating with them.
*November, 2007: During the YouTube Republican Presidential Debate run by CNN, Giuliani was asked about his support for the Red Sox by one of the questioners. In response to the mayor's answer, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who was in office during the Red Sox 2004 win, claimed that all Americans are united in hatred of the Yankees.

*April 13, 2008, Rumors of a construction worker burying a Red Sox jersey in the concrete of the New Yankee Stadium are verified after anonymous tips led to the location of the jersey. The worker, identified as Gino Castignoli, had buried a David Ortiz jersey in what will become a service corridor in the hopes of cursing the new stadium. After extracting the jersey from underneath two feet of concrete, Yankees' President Randy Levine indicated that the shirt would be donated to the Jimmy Fund to be auctioned for the charity long associated with the Red Sox. [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3344825 ESPN - Yankees will donate once-buried Red Sox jersey to Boston-area charity - MLB -]

ee also

*Mets–Phillies rivalry
*Dodgers–Giants rivalry
*Cardinals–Cubs rivalry

Notes

External links

* [http://www.redsoxvyankees.com/ RedSoxvYankees.com - Focuses on the historical and modern rivalry]
* [http://www.yankeesredsox.com/ Fan perspectives from both sides of the rivalry]
* [http://boston.about.com/cs/sportsprof/a/Sox_Rivalry.htm Birth of a rivalry]
* [http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees-redsox-blog Bronx & Beans: A Yankees-Red Sox rivalry blog]
* [http://redsoxversusyankees.com/ RedSoxVersusYankees- A site dedicated to the Red Sox Yankees rivalry]