Red Sox vs. Yankees… How Different is the Rivalry This Year?

“The most storied rivalry in baseball” has had a hollow feel to it for the past few years, whether it be the lack of fiery personalities, a Yankees team undergoing a rebuild, or perhaps the Sox fanbase just doesn’t have the hatred/jealousy of New York that it once had in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The TV networks obviously pump up the matchups between these teams, but it all just feels a little artificial. This past offseason, however, the Yankees showed their true colors and signed the best slugger in baseball to a mega contract. That is more like it. A little throwback to when they were notorious big-spending franchise, able to sign players from around the world to lucrative deals that your middle-of-the-road baseball team could not. The Sox have plenty of high payroll guys themselves, which makes the dynamic between these teams not as lopsided as it once was. Rather than a David vs. Goliath storyline, we are seeing more of a USA vs. Russia Cold War matchup. Two juggernauts in an arms race to try and outdo the other, albeit with a very different interpretation of the phrase “arms race” (baseball players instead of nuclear weapons).

Baseball is at its best when the Red Sox and Yankees are two of the best teams. This year, they are on a collision course for the division title. I think this new-age matchup is not defined as much by hatred, but rather focuses more on intensely competitive baseball. Both teams should eclipse 90, maybe even 95 wins. That is what will make each head-to-head matchup so riveting this year. Starting this week, these games might have playoff and tiebreaking implications. As much as I wish the real, deep-seeded hatred was still there, this crop of Sox players doesn’t really embody that kind of personality. Mookie Betts probably doesn’t hate anyone, to be honest. That being said, I’m sure both fanbases still really want to see the other team fail. I would love nothing more than to see New York miss the playoffs. That comes from wanting to see their fans in anguish, rather than seeing an unhappy, like, Sonny Gray.

The best part is that, up to this point, the Yankees have failed to live up to their lofty expectations and the Red Sox are riding an 8-game win streak. People had been crowning the Yankees as division and even American League champions before the season began. Giancarlo Stanton has been 0-5 with 5 strikeouts twice already this year and has been booed by his own fans. David Price is on a redemption tour, and Xander Bogaerts is on his way to a serious breakout season. The Yankees will definitely have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and some pressure coming into Fenway, and that makes the stakes even higher (as high as you can get for an early-April series). Meanwhile, this is the first real test for the Sox, who have been cruising through a ridiculously friendly opening schedule against Miami and Tampa Bay. There are just so many storylines to keep an eye on, and hopefully some really great baseball to go along with it. Red Sox-Yankees has become must-watch TV once again, and I love it.

Written by Matt Loehle