Every sport has its rivalries. Some will go on for ages. There are plenty of times in the MLB and many other leagues in which teams have become rivals right from the start, and the rivalries have continued on for many years, even existing to this day.
One of the biggest rivalries in the MLB that is still going today is the Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry. It might not be the hottest rivalry of all time, but it certainly comes with its own influence on the MLB betting odds. If you are unfamiliar with this particular rivalry, stick around as we have plenty to tell you about this rivalry and how it has progressed throughout history.
It’s Not What It Used To Be
There have been some times over the years when fans have speculated that the MLB rivalry has lost its intensity. The Yankees – Red Sox rivalry has had plenty of ups and downs over the years, like any rivalry does.
These two clubs have been going hard against each other for over a century, which is an insane amount of time in sport to be rivals for. Not only is this awesome, but the history that is wrapped up in this rivalry is also just as intense. You could craft an entire college course with their history alone.
However, the rivalry has been a bit one-sided throughout its history. The teams have played well over 2,000 games by now, enough to lose count, and with their first meeting in 1901, the Yankees have won more than half of these games.
However, from 2001 to 2011 there was a bit of a difference, the Red Sox started to spice it up. As of 2011, the Yanks won 87 and the Red Sox won 84 games, which evened out the playing field.
But, nothing lasts forever. However, at this point in time, people were worried the fire which kept the rivalry hot was dying out.
Some looked back to the beginning of the millennium and found the rivalry to potentially be at its hottest, however, after this, things seemed to strike out and the rivalry looked to be dwindling. Not gone, but not as white-hot as it once was.
How wrong we all were.
The Beginning Of Their Rivalry
Before we tell you why we were all wrong, let’s just step back for a second. Their transaction in 1918, had kicked off the ‘Curse of the Bambino’ with Babe Ruth. It made the rivalry enter a period in their history in which the Red Sox were endlessly faltering at achieving a World Series win. This held out the narrative of the Yanks being gold but the Red Sox being hard on their luck. The Yanks actually won an insane 25 championships from ‘23 to ‘99. But, then the dry spell came.
Balancing Things Out
We call it a dry spell, but really it was just the balancing out of the teams. Both teams played for a place in the World Series, and the Red Sox started to get recompense for all the beatings they endured. They came back from a 0-3 deficit and beat the Yankees, and then they swept the Cardinals in the World Series and secured their first championship since 1918. This Red Sox comeback was highlighted by an 18-year stretch for Boston, and the Red Sox got another two World Series wins. Boston did well in other sports as well, including the NFL, so they were feeling very hot to trot.
The Yankees were lagging in their championships, only gaining 2 in the 21st century, which had them total at 27 overall. But, this means that the teams were finally more equal. In every rivalry there is usually an underdog and a favorite, but the distance between these two have slowly been closing smaller.
This is even true for their payroll as well. The Yankees have always been top dogs here, with the highest, but now that title belongs to the Red Sox, which has to burn. This is sure to fan the flame between these two teams even more. So, while we might say that the 2000s saw a change in the rivalry, it’s not really dwindled so much as it has evened out. We think this is even better, because it means that the favorites (Yankees) are faced with even more competition now.
Similarities Do Not Attract
Overall, the closing of the gap between these teams is not only in the scoreboard or the payroll, but both of them have produced some of the biggest names in sport and media. With big colleges and universities in both cities, the teams often overshadow everyone else in the league, which makes their rivalry even more under the microscope by MLB fans. They are not the same in size, but they are very similar. They are both blue-states, on the East Coast, which have a long history. They are also geographically close, making some New England families torn between teams.
They are like siblings, and it’s perfect that their rivalry is just like a sibling rivalry.
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