The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have been bitter rivals for the better part of the last century. Ever since Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, the two organizations have had it out for one another, creating what very well may be the biggest rivalry in all of sports.
A new chapter was written in the storied history of the teams’ feud in 2002 when Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino dubbed the New Yorkers the “Evil Empire”. It would set the stage for the next decade in the fight for supremacy in the American League East, even carrying on until now, as the Red Sox were introduced on Opening Day in Yankee Stadium to Star Wars’ Imperial March.
By now, we’re all familiar with the major moments of the 21st century war. Aaron Boone’s home run off Tim Wakefield to win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The brawl in Boston between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez in 2004. The “Who’s your daddy” chants at Yankee Stadium toward Pedro Martinez. David Ortiz’s two game-winning hits in Games 4 and 5 of the ’04 ALCS, including a walk-off homer off Mariano Rivera. The epic Red Sox comeback in that series. The Yankees swooping in at the last minute to sign Mark Teixeira away from the Red Sox in December of 2008.
The list of moments goes on and on, as does the list of Red Sox players who have become engrained in the rivalry. Johnny Damon. Kevin Millar. Bill Mueller. Jonathan Papelbon. Manny Ramirez. Curt Schilling. Kevin Youkilis. It is a familiar Boston cast to baseball’s best theater. Not so now.
The current Red Sox are hardly the big names synonymous with this rivalry, but they are the future of it. In addition to the other new faces for Boston, Jackie Bradley, Jr., Jose Iglesias, and Will Middlebrooks all cracked the Opening Day lineup for the first time. And what better place to open up a season as a young Red Sox player than Yankee Stadium.
For Bradley, Monday marked his highly anticipated Major League debut. Boston fans disillusioned with the 2013 Red Sox see Bradley as the reason to watch the team this season. While his inclusion on the roster may have been necessitated by injury as much as it was based on his spring training performance, he still made his presence felt from his first at bat, when he worked a walk off CC Sabathia and later scored a run.
While he may have gone hitless in Game one, it was still an impressive debut, especially considering it came at Yankee Stadium. He walked three times, scored twice, and saw 26 pitches in five plate appearances. He also tracked down a deep fly ball to left off of Robinson Cano’s bat in the third inning that could have let the Yankees back in the game had it fallen. In his second game he did pick up his first big league hit and added two more runs, taking the team lead in that category. There’s a lot to like from the 22-year-old.
Like Bradley, Iglesias also got a starting job due to injury. With Stephen Drew out with a concussion, Iglesias is getting his chance to stake his claim as the Red Sox shortstop for the foreseeable future. He’s done everything he can so far to prove he belongs, even though he may still end up back in the minors when Drew returns.
On Opening Day he had three hits, a RBI, and a run scored and showed off his slick fielding that has earned him his reputation as a defensive wizard. It should be noted that none of his three hits left the infield, but the Red Sox will take any offensive contributions they can get from him. On Wednesday, he did add a line drive double down the left field line that put two men in scoring position. Through the team’s first two games, Iglesias is the unsuspected team leader in hitting with a .556 average.
Middlebrooks, meanwhile, has not had a successful start to the 2013 campaign. Of the three young players getting the starts for the Sox early this season, Middlebrooks had the most Major League experience entering the season. Taking over at third when Kevin Youkilis was injured last year, he played in 75 games before a wrist injury ended his season after he hit .288 with 15 home runs.
The start of 2013 has been only slightly kinder for Middlebrooks than the end of 2012, if for no other reason than he is at least on the field. He has been playing through chilly and damp weather while managing a fever of 102 degrees, so one can only read so much into his 0-8 start.
Along with other players like Joel Hanrahan, Mike Napoli, and Shane Victorino, many of these Red Sox players are new to the Boston-New York rivalry. And, while some of them may only be short-term additions to the storied history between these two teams, expect guys like Bradley, Iglesias and Middlebrooks to be at the center of the Boston side for years to come after the organizations retool for their next runs at greatness.
