The topic of rivalries came up before the Red Sox took on the Yankees Friday night. It's a topic that was recently surfaced by New York pitcher Nestor Cortes, who addressed the perceived dynamic between his team and the Sox.
Nestor Cortes had this to say about the upcoming series against the Red Sox 👀 pic.twitter.com/KuR2OkCPVf
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 8, 2023
There has been roller coaster dynamic between the Yankees and Red Sox - cooling off a bit after 2004 before amping back up in 2018 and then hitting its stride during the 2021 Wild Card game at Fenway.
But as we sit here? Eh ...
“In the last four or five years, people might be down, but we have played in two playoffs since 2018,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who identified the back-and-forth between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic in all sports as the most intense he has experienced. “It all depends how you see it, but since ‘18, playing two series already, not just because of the result, it’s just the whole thing. It’s very intense.
"I don’t really know what people consider rivals, but I do believe playing in the playoffs is cool. I think the playoffs means a lot. I think that’s where people are kind of like ‘We beat you guys in the playoffs.’"
Well, Friday night did at least offer a reminder that these games between these teams are different.
Start with the sell-out Fenway Park crowd, that immediately brought the kind of energy that simply hasn't been in place for much of the 2023 season. Then there was the opportunity for the majority of those in attendance to revel in not only a win, but the kind of victory that embarrasses their New York counterparts.
It was the kind of shame after the Yankees faithful most likely felt after being swept in 2021 when trying to exit Fenway.
This time the vibes came courtesy an absolute drubbing of a Yankees team that still sit four games up on the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot. Red Sox 15, Yankees 5. (For a complete recap, click here.)
The 10-run spread was the biggest margin of victory for the Red Sox all season, and couldn't come at a better time. Images of Justin Turner hitting a pair of home runs on the way to six RBI and Masa Yoshida going 4-for-4 after a few days of reflection all offered a reminder of how good things can be for the Sox.
It was warm. The crowd was alive. And the Red Sox trounced the Yankees. For one out-of-nowhere night, all was right with the world for a team that as seen so much go wrong of late.
"Finally," said Cora, whose team is just 19-18 at home. "I think this is probably the hottest [home] game we’ve played the whole season. It seems like every game we have played has been in the 50s, and today, it felt like summer. You know how it plays here in the summer and the ball will carry. And the guys did an outstanding job putting pressure on [Domingo] Germán. We did some great things. We put pressure on their defense. We were really good tonight offensively."
