Yankees, Red Sox rivalry renewed in postseason | Lucas

For the first time in 14 years, the greatest rivalry in sports will display the year’s final battle in the postseason. After Wednesday night’s American League Wild Card game, it is certain that the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will meet at least three more times. The Red Sox finished ahead of the Yankees by eight games,…

For the first time in 14 years, the greatest rivalry in sports will display the year’s final battle in the postseason.

After Wednesday night’s American League Wild Card game, it is certain that the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will meet at least three more times.

The Red Sox finished ahead of the Yankees by eight games, though the Bombers finished with 100 wins, and would lead any other division except for the National League West. The season series was as even as it could have been, with the Red Sox taking 10 games, and the Yankees taking nine.

These two teams have already faced each other three times in the postseason (Major League Baseball considers the 1978 AL East tiebreaker a regular season game), with the Yankees taking the first two, and the Red Sox taking the last one. However, this is the first time that the teams will face each other in the division series, as the rules prohibited two teams from the same division to play in the first round from 1995-2011. The three matchups were all in the ALCS, and within a six-year span. New York easily claimed the 1999 ALCS four games to one, and won the American League Pennant at Fenway Park. Things got much more interesting after that.

At the start of the new century, the Red Sox added major pieces including David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, and Johnny Damon to solidify a great roster. In 2003, the Yankees and Red Sox met again in the ALCS, and took it the distance this time. Boston rocked its former ace Roger Clemens for four runs in game seven before Mike Mussina started an impressive stretch by the Yankee bullpen that kept hope alive for New York. Jason Giambi’s two home runs off Pedro Martinez got the Yankees on the board, and Red Sox manager Grady Little made the notorious decision to stick with Pedro Martinez in a 5-3 game in the eighth. Of course, the Yankees rallied for three runs off Martinez, capped off by a Jorge Posada blooper double, to tie the game. Mariano Rivera pitched three shutout innings on his way to series MVP, and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone hit possibly the biggest home run in franchise history to send the Yankees back to the fall classic, and once again bury Boston’s hopes of ending their drought.

The 2004 Yankees seemed poised to do the same, as they again stood atop the American League, and pushed the Red Sox to the brink of elimination at three games to none. Yet, the Yankees collapsed, and the Red Sox found incredible energy over the next four days, and for that matter, the next decade. Boston made the greatest comeback in baseball history, celebrated in Yankee Stadium, and went on to end its 86-year drought, before creating a dynasty with three championships altogether through 2013. Since that last postseason series, the Yankees have won a championship, but the Red Sox have been the better team in October. No players on the 2018 Yankees were there in 2004, but ownership, management, and especially the fan base, have had nightmares about those four days since then, and they want to avenge that collapse.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Red Sox partied around the Yankee Stadium clubhouse after clinching the American League East. The Yankees will say that it did not necessarily matter that it happened in the Bronx, but they are lying. Boston’s sweep of the Yankees in July was embarrassing, and the Yankees want their revenge.

The teams may decide the series just by Game 1 alone. Red Sox ace Chris Sale will be on the hill tonight in Boston for the opener, but it is uncertain whether it will be the Cy Young candidate Sale from the first two-thirds of the season, or the Sale fresh off the disabled list. David Price and Rick Porcello both had good, if not great, seasons, but Sale is the Red Sox’ workhorse, and can make all the difference between the ALCS and an earlier offseason. Regardless, tonight’s game, and this series, will be the result of 115 years of rivalry, passion, and great play.