There hasn't been another rivalry in the history of sports, and I don't care what anyone proposes, Celtics/Lakers, Bruins/Canadians, Ali/Frazier, Bird/Magic, Brady/Manning, none of them, and I mean none, top Red Sox vs. Yankees. Taking a little bit of a different approach to this article, I wanted to look at this rivalry through the lens of a fan. Because, at the end of the day, that's what we all are: fans. We write about teams because we love the sport, we keep tuning into every game because we love the team, we keep buying tickets because we love being in the moment. Each one of those moments captivates the audience, the players, and the teams. Thus, you have a rivalry. As a a fan that's been around the rivalry for 19 years now, here's a look at the top 5 moments of my lifteime from this historic, game-changing rivalry between two of the best franchises in all of sports. #5) "Varitek and A-Rod goin' at it!" Those are the words of famous sports play-by-play man Joe Buck. In a game on July 24, 2004 when the rivalry was at it's peak, Bronson Arroyo hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez intentionally. Rodriguez didn't take too kindly to the beaning, and started shouting choice words towards Arroyo. Then, in stepped Sox captain Jason Varitek, who tried playing peacemaker. A-Rod didn't like that either, and Varitek proceeded to give A-Rod a face full of mitt and then, all hell broke loose. watch for yourself: #4) "Who's your daddy?" Another iconic moment from 2004, the Yankees had Pedro Martinez's number all season long, and before the 2004 ALCS, Pedro said at a press conference, "They’re that good right now. They’re that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” Of course, this news made it to the Bronx, and by the time it was time for Martinez to toe the rubber for game 2 at Yankee Stadium, the "Who's your daddy" chant was echoing throughout the "Cathedral of baseball". The moment is one that still sends chills down the spine of Red Sox Nation, but they would later come to peace with it after a moment that will be featured a bit later in our countdown. Heck, it even continued until 2009, when the Yankees met the Phillies in the World Series. #3) Back-to-back-to-back-to-back This rivalry had seen a lot of unfathomable things, but on April 22, 2007 it saw something neither side had been able to accomplish. The Red Sox homered not once, not twice, not three times, but four straight times. Ramirez, Drew, Lowell, and finally Varitek all got their hacks in during the bottom of the third that night and made them count, as the Sox gave the fans at Fenway Park a moment they would not soon forget, as the Sox sealed a 7-6 victory. #2) Aaron Boone crushes the hopes and dreams of the Red Sox (as well as the baseball) All I can really say about this one is, thank god I wasn't yet old enough to stay up and watch this nightmare unfold. Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS is one that many Red Sox fans will remember like it was yesterday. All year long, Boston had felt like it would finally be their year. The series was about as evenly played as you could have hoped for, with Boston taking games 1 and 4, and the Yankees snagging games 2 and 3. In game 7 however, Boston jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, until the Yankees finally pushed a run across in the bottom of the fifth. Boston would take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth but, New York rallied for three runs and tied the game at 5-5. The game would remain the same score until the bottom of the eleventh when Tim Wakefield served Aaron Boone a knuckleball on a silver platter and... well, you get the idea... But hey, that's alright because this moment sets up the #1 moment on our list quite nicely. #1) 2004 ALCS 3-0 comeback This is, and forever will be, the greatest comeback in the history of sports. You have the New York Yankees, baseball's powerhouse franchise of the 2000's, and the Boston Red Sox. The team everyone counted out. Everyone. This series is one that's pretty indescribable to someone that doesn't know the history of baseball or especially the history between these two teams. The healing of the pain of the past 86 years alone for one fan base was enough to make this #1 on this list, but more than anything, because it came against those damn Yankees. There were so many moments in this series that had one not taken place, the Red Sox might still have a curse that would be at an even 100 years at this point. The Bill Mueller single off Marion Rivera is probably the least talked about moment in that series that really should be the most popular. Had Mueller not worked the count on Rivera and lined a rocket single up the middle, the iconic play that followed never happens. The Dave Roberts stolen base. If Roberts doesn't steal that base, Boston goes home. Plain and simple. David Ortiz delivered the final blow in not only game 4 with a walkout homer, but game 5 as well, when a bloop single into centerfield scored Johnny Damon and sent the series back to New York. At this point, the Yankees were shell-shocked. They knew they were playing potentially two games they could not lose. Curt Schilling pitched in the infamous "bloody sock" game, where he pitched seven marvelous innings, and proved the baseball world that he was an absolute warrior. Boston took game 6 by a score of 4-2. In game 7, everything came pouring out. With Derek Lowe on the mound, Boston's bats exploded, and crushed the hearts of every fan in New York, just as they had done to them on that same field just over a year ago. David Ortiz got the scoring started for Boston by launching one into the right field bleachers, putting the Sox up 2-0. They never looked back. Boston would go on to win the game and the series, becoming the first team in MLB history to win a series when trailing 3-0. I hope you enjoyed the list, if there's any you think I missed or should add in, let us know! Leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, or tweet me @bhowesports.
Here's the link to the Boston Sports Barrage podcast to get another perspective on this amazing rivalry. https://soundcloud.com/user-625048200/the-nation-vs-the-empire
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