Manny Ramirez is an eight-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and forever Boston Red Sox fan favorite.
Ramirez signed with the Red Sox in 2001, and it didn't take much longer for the New York Yankees' fortunes in the American League East to be turned over to Boston. The slugger claimed World Series MVP in 2004 after the Red Sox smashed their 86-year championship drought. Their path included a miraculous 0-3 comeback against New York in the ALCS
But before he came to Boston, Ramirez was pursued by the Yankees in free agency. Recent comments from the legend could hurt Red Sox Nation to its core.
“I’m always a Yankee fan,” Ramirez said to "The Bronx Zoo" in a video posted to Twitter. “I went to school in New York. That was one of my dreams, to play with the Yankees. It didn't happen, but I got two World Series.”
Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez reveals he grew up a Yankees fan and hoped to join the team
Manny Ramirez tells The Zoo…HE WANTED TO BE A YANKEE! pic.twitter.com/lq8DlBTmjD
— The Bronx Zoo (@thebronxzoo_tbz) February 4, 2025
Ramirez also said he believes Yankee fans are the best, which may be the most hurtful statement of them all — to Sox fans, at least. The eight-year Red Sox was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but moved to Manhattan with his parents when he was 13.
Luckily for Boston fans, his New York fandom didn't come out in his play. He slashed .312/.411/.588 with a .999 OPS in his eight seasons with the Red Sox, and batted .322 with 55 homers against the Yankees during his tenure with their arch-rival.
Red Sox Nation has previously dealt with the heartbreak of finding out that franchise legends were Yankees fans. Pedro Martinez grew up a Yankees fan while he lived in the Dominican Republic, and he even asked to be traded to New York three different times over his 18-year MLB career.
Ramirez may be a Yankees fan, but he was never afforded the chance to play for them in the majors. That may sting New Yorkers more than Sox fans — Ramirez put aside his fandom to stick it to the Yankees time and time again.