We see it every year. Yankees Vs Red Sox: The greatest rivalry in the game. Frankly, at least on paper, it is. Regardless of any team preferences, no other two teams have given baseball so many iconic moments. This rivalry has seen The Curse of the Bambino, Don Zimmer getting down and dirty with the ground, the bloody sock, and Bucky F’n Dent, among many others.
Constant Mismatches
Despite giving us so many important moments, baseball’s greatest rivalry seems to have gotten a bit stale in recent years.
Both teams have not been able to coincide lately. Last year, while the Red Sox were on top of the AL East, the Yankees had already thrown in the towel, sharing the bottom with the Tampa Bay Rays. More importantly, the Yankees were beginning their transition towards the bombers we have seen throughout this current season.
The year before was no different. The Yankees stayed behind the Toronto Blue Jays, but that was enough for them to get a spot in the AL Wild Card game that was subsequently lost at home to the Houston Astros . On the other hand, the Red Sox could not get their stride right. Boston finished the year rotting at the bottom of the pack in the East, finishing 14 games behind the lead.
Both teams have been unable to match each other in recent years. They have been polar opposites. While one competes for postseason glory, the other sinks to the bottom of the division, already thinking about the next season.
The Fairytale
In contrast with later years, both the Yankees and Red Sox are competing for the lead in the East. The Red Sox have a 3.5 game advantage over the Yankees, who sit in second place. But all this might come down to a crushing end during the final stretch.
The Painstripes
The New York Yankees have been in a slump recently. Not only have they been hanging their head low lately, but they also picked the worst month of the year for the train to lose its steam. They go up and down in the standings held by the hand of rookie sensation Aaron Judge. Ever since the beginning of the second half, Judge has put up some chilling numbers. Judge only has 14 hits, 38 strikeouts, and despite his 30 homers in the first half, he only has 5 of those during the second half. His batting average since the All-Star break (.167) makes the Mendoza Line look stunning.
Running Sox
Everything the Yankees have gotten wrong, the Red Sox have gotten right. Miami born Deven Marrero has been rock solid in the infield. Former Giant Eduardo Nunez has been ripping the seams of the baseball lately with a .323 batting average and 12 RBIs. Chris Sale has proven to be one of the stronger arms in the Boston rotation with a 2,57 ERA. Andrew Benintendi does not fall short in offensive contributions either with 14 home runs and 59 RBI. The Red Sox are starting to run with the lead of their division.
Harsh Reality
During this later stage of the current season, there are still plenty of games between Boston and New York. These two still have ten more games to play. By the way things are looking, the Red Sox will not stop for anybody and will send the Yankees to the Wild Card game against either the Minnesota Twins or the Los Angeles Angels. Whoever comes alive from the Wild Card game, will have the titanic task of taking on the Houston Astros.
Given the fact that whoever ends up leading the division will have to wait for the wild card to come out alive out of Houston, the possibilities of seeing the greatest rivalry in the game during the postseason are minimal. And during the regular season things have not been all that exciting. As mentioned before in this article, one has to rise and the other one, has to sink way down to make it work. All there is left is the name. At least for now, only the name “Yankee Vs Red Sox” remains. Baseball-wise, there has not been much going on between the two.
Unless a Red Sox pitcher injures his ankle and throws a masterpiece like Curt Schilling once did or, unless Alex Rodriguez comes back from his playing retirement, it all will remain the same for a while longer. Media outlets that cover the games will hype it up, but the rivalry has become just a name for the scoreboards.
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