Top 10 greatest moments in the Red Sox & Yankees rivalry

It’s one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees rivalry has seen many great players, taken many turns and now is heading into the end of a chapter. Tuesday begins another series in this long American League rivalry. But, it’s not just another series. It happens to be the last series ever to be played at Yankee Stadium between the two clubs.

Both Boston and New York has had their ups and downs in the rivalry. The Yankees have not only the edge in the all-time series (993-778), but also are owners of 26 World Series titles. However, Boston has overcome the Yankee stronghold in the last few years, winning two of the last four World Series championships.

Both teams have legendary players and stadiums. It’s not just on the field events that make this rivalry legendary. The Bleacher Creatures live in section 39 of Yankee Stadium, while Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” is belted out by fans at Fenway Park. Each team has traditions. Each of these traditions only add to the greatest rivalry in baseball, one that has seen some great moments.

In honor of the last series between the two teams, here are the “Top 10 Greatest Moments in the Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry.”

• #10. BURIED BELOW - We’ll start things off with one of the newest developments in the rivalry. During the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, a construction worker, who also happened to be a loyal Red Sox fan, buried a David Ortiz jersey in the ground. The jersey was recovered after tearing up concrete and digging to unearth the item. The same construction worker claimed to have buried another item, however, it’s hard to believe him. The guy should have kept his mouth shut until construction was complete before saying anything about it.
• #9. 61 - On October 1, 1961, Yankees slugger Roger Maris set the MLB single season record for home runs after hitting number 61 off Red Sox rookie pitcher Tracy Stallard. Maris and the Yankees went on to win the World Series that season.
• #8. BATTERYMATE BRAWLERS - In a late July game at Fenway Park, Alex Rodriguez was beaned by an offering from Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo. As A-Rod started to mouth off to Arroyo, catcher Jason Varitek stepped in and got in A-Rod’s face. After some words were exchanged, A-Rod and Varitek started the bench-clearing rumble. This was really A-Rod’s initiation into the rivalry, as there is more to come from him later.
• #7. A SERIES ENDER - It was an unlikely hero that sent the Yankees to the World Series in 2003. Aaron Boone led off the 11th inning with a walk-off homer to left field off Tim Wakefield. Boone earned a new middle name from Red Sox fans after starting the celebration in the Bronx.
• #6. A DIFFERENT SORT OF RACE - During the summer of 1941, a different race was happening in the American League. Sure, the Yankees and Red Sox were contenders during the ‘41 season, but because of two leading AL hitters. Ted Williams batted .406 during that season. Since then, no other MLB players has been able to crack the .400 mark at the plate. Also during that season, Joe DiMaggio set one of the most impressive batting records in baseball. DiMaggio picked up a base hit in 56 consecutive games, which helped him top Williams in the AL Most Valuable Player voting. Williams, who not only had a higher batting average, also hit more home runs and had a higher OPS than DiMaggio, yet finished second in the voting.
• #5. ON A COLLISION COURSE - I’m not even sure how many people have ever seen footage of this play. However, it’s a play I’ve heard so much about, it has definitely made enough of an impression on me to land on this list. On August 1, 1973, Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson added to fuel to the rivalry’s fire. After a missed bunt, Munson came charging down the third base line before crashing into Fisk near the plate, which started the fight. Even though Munson was seen as the starter of the fight, he eventually was after punching Fisk in the face.
• #4. A STORYLINE FOR BRAWLS - Game three of the ALCS saw more than just one storyline that added to the rivalry. It started by having two pitchers on the mound that like to command the inside corner of the plate. Red Sox starter Pedro Martinez came in tight and hit Karim Garcia with a pitch in the fourth inning. After a few words were tossed around and dugouts were emptied, order seemed to be restored. However, in the bottom of the fourth, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens threw a high fastball that Manny Ramirez thought was a little too close to his head. As Ramirez pointed his bat at the mound, both benches cleared again and then the unthinkable happened. Behind home plate, New York bench coach Don Zimmer came running out towards Martinez, who proceeded to grab Zimmer behind the head and toss him to the ground. But that wasn’t all that happened that night. Later in the game Garcia and Jeff Nelson were involved in a fight out in the bullpen area as a Fenway Park grounds keeper mouthed off. It was an ugly night in a series that had an amazing ending.
• #3. AMAZING COMEBACK - This was the storybook ending that all of Red Sox Nation waited for. Facing a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox became the first team to win four straight games to overcome such a deficit and advance to the World Series. But that series could have been one of the best ever. We saw the Yankees rout the Sox at Fenway, 19-8. Then we saw the Red Sox come back to defeat Mariano Rivera. Later in the series, A-Rod was called out for “slapping the ball out of Arroyo’s glove” on a play at first base. After that we saw the Sox look like world-beaters at Yankee Stadium in a 10-3 game seven victory.
• #2. THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO - At one point, you never talked about it. Yet, since the Red Sox have “broke” the curse, it seems that everyone is talking about it. Babe Ruth was once a Red Sox player. However, following the 1919 season, Ruth was sold to the Yankees for $125,000. The Red Sox, who won the World Series in 1918, did not win another title until the 2004 season. The Yankees, however, won all 26 of their titles after acquiring Ruth. And so, a curse was born. This could be pointed to as the start of the rivalry. Yet, there’s one play that really brought the rivalry to the national stage.
• #1. BUCKY “BLEEPING” DENT - This one play intensified the Red Sox and Yankees series so much that others across the country really began to notice. On October 2, 1978, Dent blasted a three-run homer over the Green Monster at Fenway, sending the Yankees to the World Series. The game was a one-game playoff after both teams finished the year 99-63. Ever since that homer, Dent has been referred to as Bucky “F—ing” Dent by Red Sox fans.

It’s been an amazing rivalry to watch. It’s hard to believe that this week’s series is the last to ever take place at Yankee Stadium between the two storied clubs.

Photo: Newscom