The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the longest and most bitter rivalries in American professional Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets sports. For over 100 years, baseball's New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox of the American League have Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets been chief rivals, compounded by their geographic proximity. The Yankees have the all-time series with Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets a record of 1,060-879 (.547) through the 2005 season. The Yankees also hold advantages in World Series Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets Championships (26 to 6) and pennants (39 to 11).
Since before the start of the American Revolution, Boston and New York have shared a rivalry. When the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets Sons of Liberty stirred up the flames of revolution in Boston, Tories (loyalists) in New York argued Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets that America should stay loyal to the crown. When the Siege of Boston ended, the citizens of Boston Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets celebrated wildly (and still celebrate Evacuation Day to this day). When George Washington faced defeat Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets in New York, the people there welcomed the British troops with open arms.
In 2003, the two teams faced off in the ALCS for the second time. Tied at three wins apiece after the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets first six grueling and intense games, including a bench-clearing brawl between the rivals in the third Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets game, Boston held a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 7 at Yankee Stadium in New York, with their Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets Martinez on the mound. After the first out of the inning, the Yankees began a rally with three straight Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets hits that cut the deficit to 5-3 and left runners on second and third base. It seemed that Martinez had Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets tired, but Boston manager Grady Little decided to leave him in the game. This decision would come back Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets to haunt Little when the next batter, New York catcher Jorge Posada, blooped a single into center field that scored both runners and tied the game.
The tone for 2004 was set early when new Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who confounded the Yankees in Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, showed up at an ice hockey game in Boston wearing Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets a "Yankee hater" hat. That year, the Red Sox won the season series against the Yankees, punctuated Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets by an 11-10 Red Sox win on July 24. During that game, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek started an epic Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets bench-clearing brawl where Schilling attacked several Yankees players, and Gabe Kapler and Tanyon Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets Sturtze broke off of the fight, giving Sturtze a bloody ear. Despite their success in the rivalry Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets series, the Red Sox still finished second to the Yankees in the AL East for the seventh straight season. Both teams would advance to the ALCS, for the second straight year.
In 2005 the Yankees again won the American League East crown, for the eighth straight time, while the Red Sox finished second to them for the eighth straight year. (Both teams finished with identical Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets records, but the Yankees won by virtue of their edge in the season series against Boston.) Though the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets teams were poised to face off in a third straight ALCS, both were eliminated in the ALDS.
In 2006, the Yankees won the AL East for the ninth time in a row, while the Red Sox finished behind the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets Toronto Blue Jays for third place the Yankees again won the season series against the Redsox more notably they revisited the Boston massacre of 1978 this time with a 5 game sweep to put the Redsox 6.5 games behind the Yankees eliminating Bostons hopes of winning the division and dethroning the Yankees Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees tickets for another season. The Yankees went on to the playoffs and were eliminated in the ALDS, by the Detroit Tigers in four games.