For nearly a decade, the ‘rivalry’ between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees has lain dormant.
When the rivalry was scalding hot, both of these teams were really good. From the first battle of the regular season to every matchup in the postseason, the games meant a lot more when they were Red Sox – Yankees. Owners would try to rile up the fan bases, front offices would try to out-bid each other for marquee free agents, and their star players would let it show how much the games meant on the field. Now though? The rivalry hasn’t meant much for a long time.
They haven’t met in the postseason since 2004 and haven’t had to compete for a spot in the standings in years. Since being swept in the 2012 ALCS, the Yankees have made the postseason just once and it was in a losing Wild Card game at that. The Red Sox have enjoyed slightly more success, but aside from winning the World Series in 2013, they have nothing more than last year’s ALDS sweep at the hands of the Indians to brag about. The 2003 and 2004 postseason series were peak Red Sox – Yankees, but when those ended they took the rivalry with them.
After the weekend’s affairs, there’s a pretty strong argument to be made that the Red Sox have a bigger rivalry with the Orioles than they do the Yankees. There’s a still place for hatred and animosity between teams, it’s just manifest itself in a different relationship than we’re accustomed to seeing.
But there’s also the chance that the tide is turning back in the direction of importance. For the first time in six years, the Red Sox and Yankees will have a winning percentage over .575 when the play each other. They’re currently separated by half a game in the standings and although it’s still early, every game matters. No one’s winning the World Series in April, but they can absolutely play themselves out of one.
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Beyond the importance in the standings, there’s a new generation of talent staking their claim on both teams. Gone are the days of Ortiz, A-Rod, Manny, Jeter, Schilling, and Posada but that doesn’t mean the new wave won’t be as exciting. Between Mookie Betts, Gary Sanchez (10-day DL), Chris Sale, Aaron Judge, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, Ronald Torreyes, and Jackie Bradley, the two teams are loaded with young talent.
For what seems like the first time in years, there’s actually a reason to be excited about a series between the clubs.
The Red Sox carried a lot of expectations into the season, following a busy offseason and the addition of arguably the best starting pitcher in the American League. 19 games into the year and the results have been mixed. Sale has been every bit as good as advertised, if not better, but the offense has struggled at times, the back end of the rotation looks inconsistent at best, and they’re still dealing with lingering injuries to a number of key players.
As for the Yankees, they’ve exceeded expectations from the get-go. They’re a team that can truly wear the “underdog” label and use it to their advantage. Between Sanchez, Judge, Torreyes, Greg Bird, and Luis Severino the most talented players on their team are no older than 25. But they’re also bogged down by a stable of aging veterans with big contracts, namely Jacoby Ellsbury and CC Sabathia. Add it up and they’re a team that not many predicted to be anything more than .500 at best.
The Red Sox should hold a better record by season’s end, but there has to be some satisfaction for the Yankees, knowing they hold a half-game edge over the consensus pick to win the division even if it is the first month of the season. After a 3-3 road trip and a series loss to the Orioles now is as a good a time as any for the Red Sox to assert themselves in the division, though. And what better way to do it than against a young and talented Yankees team.
Next: What if the Red Sox never traded Jamie Moyer?
There’s reason enough to be excited about a Red Sox – Yankees series, but not because of a rivalry that’s been dormant for the last decade.