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Red Sox: Top-10 reasons to get excited about baseball in 2018

By Cole Witaszek

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 16: Mark Teixeira #25 of the New York Yankees stretches in front of the Green Monster before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 16, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 16: Mark Teixeira #25 of the New York Yankees stretches in front of the Green Monster before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 16, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

It’s been quite a while since the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has really meant anything. In the early 2000’s there could not have been a more exciting battle.

The 2003 season saw the Red Sox come within one game of vanquishing their arch nemesis only to have their hopes dashed by a clutch home run from Aaron Boone. In 2004, the Red Sox came back from a three games to none deficit in the Championship Series against New York and went on to break the 86-year-old Curse of the Bambino.

Since then there has been quite a lull in what was formerly the sport’s greatest rivalry. The Red Sox enjoyed a long run of success, winning two more championships and four division titles since while the Yankees claimed a ring of their own. However, the two never met in a playoff series and rarely finished in close proximity in the standings.

But in 2017 that tide started to change. The Red Sox beat out the Yankees for the division by one game, but it was the Yankees who made it further in the playoffs. Realizing that they are on close footing, both teams have attempted to improve their standing this off-season in something of an arms race. The Yankees were the first to make a splash, trading for NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. The Red Sox followed suit by signing one of the top hitters in baseball in J.D. Martinez.

Next: How to value Red Sox players in Fantasy Baseball

Both teams looked stacked, both fan bases have sky-high expectations, and, no matter what side you fall on, no one denies it’s going to be a dogfight. The rivalry renewed is by far the most exciting development in Red Sox baseball going iinto2018. Buckle up; it’s going to be a wild ride.

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