The Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees rivalry is alive and well again after the two teams faced each other in the Wild Card round. That series didn't go Boston's way and it was eliminated in three games, but New York's postseason didn't last much longer.
The Toronto Blue Jays made quick work of the Yankees in the ALDS. They scored a staggering 37 runs on the Yankees in four games and earned their first ticket to the ALCS since 2016. All the while, Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello was watching.
Red Sox fans reveled while Bello trolled the Yankees from his Instagram story. The reading began on October 7 when the Jays took a 6-1 lead over New York in the third inning of its potential elimination game. Bello posted a giggling emoji over a black screen as his rivals were seemingly having their teeth kicked in. That troll unfortunately didn't age well for Bello, as the Yankees posted a stunning 9-6 comeback victory and staved off elimination.... for one more day.
The following morning, Bello posted a surfer emoji on his Instagram story. The post was hours before the game and included no additional context, but the emoji on a black background has led some fans to believe that it was connected to his post from the night before. Either way, the Blue Jays cruised to a 5-2 win — and a series win — later that night, and Sox fans would like to believe Bello saw it coming.
Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello trolls Yankees as Blue Jays eliminate them in the ALDS
Yankees fans have been quite sensitive to Bello's digs, especially since they won the game he started in the Wild Card round. Alex Cora gave Bello the unexplainable early hook in Game 2, and the Red Sox ran through their bullpen that night with a rookie making his postseason debut on the mound the following day.
New York scored two runs off Bello in the Wild Card, but he's usually a Yankees killer. He's pitched to a 2.35 ERA and a 1.138 ERA over 65 innings against the Yankees in his career. Bello has also historically kept New York's best bats off the scoreboard — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton carry .095 and .200 batting averages, respectively, against him in their careers, Judge only has one extra-base hit against him, and Stanton has zero.
Despite his early playoff exit, Bello still has the upper hand against the Yankees, and he acts like he knows it. Maybe the Yankees will finally get revenge next season.