The 2003 American League Championship series was the most intriguing and intense playoff matchup in Major League Baseball’s history. The matchup included not only baseball’s biggest rivalry but the sports world’s biggest rivalry the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees. Game 3 was arguably the most intense the rivalry ever got as the starting pitching matchup did not disappoint with former Red Sox, Roger Clemens starting for the Yankees and ace Pedro Martinez starting for the Red Sox. Early on the game, Karim Garcia of the Yankees was hit in the back by a Martinez fastball. Tensions started to rise were words were exchanged by Martinez and Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. The following inning, Clemens hit Sox star Manny Ramirez. This started one of the most infamous brawls in MLB history. The brawl was highlighted with Martinez throwing down Yankees 72-year old bench coach Don Zimmer. The series ended in Game 7 when Aaron Boone of the Yankees hit a walk-off homerun off of Tim Wakefield sending the Yankees to the 2003 World Series.
What ever happened to the Red Sox, Yankees rivalry? Well I realized it is different today when I heard Yankees catcher Brian McCann on the Michael Kay Show back in May talking about David Ortiz. Kay asked the Yankees catcher why the Yanks don’t intentional throw a pitch at Ortiz or walk him to avoid damage. However, McCann responded by saying that he would never do that to Ortiz as he is a “good guy, why would I do that?”.
Words can not describe how much I have no respect for David Ortiz. I understand that you may say to me, “Well, you're a Yankees fan,” or “You’re just jealous because he’s great.” Neither of those reasons is why I despise Big Papi. It is more than just him as a ballplayer, it’s his disrespectful personality and the way he is leaving this game, setting the wrong example for the future of Major League Baseball.
However in 2016, all of Major League Baseball including the New York Yankees paid their respects to David Ortiz. Gifts across the league, ceremonies during his last All-Star Game, last game against the Yankees, the league treated him as much as Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter when they retired. Why did they praise him like a legend, but gave Alex Rodriguez major disrespect who also retired this year?
We all recall the A-Rod suspension and allegations over steroids in 2013. His 211 game suspension was by far the largest in baseball history and was also on his first offense compared other players who get 50 games if they are convicted the first time. David Ortiz was caught with steroids in 2003 along with Rodriguez however received no suspension.
In fact here is what current Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said this year about Ortiz and his steroid clinic,“I can’t tell you exactly when they were destroyed. I just don’t know off the top of my head. Those samples, as you may recall, were the subject of some considerable dispute. There were subpoenas and court orders as to what could be done, what could be destroyed, how they had to be handled. But there was clearly some window there.”
Ortiz was given a pass, Rodriguez was not. This should have angered and refueled the rivalry however, it has not added any fire to this rivalry. A key reason for this is now both teams are filled with players that have jumped around the league in their careers and not have not been a home-grown product of either franchise. Players like David Price, Craig Kimbrel, Aaron Hill, Hanley Ramirez, and Chris Young for the Red Sox as well as Brian McCann, Starlin Castro, Chase Headley, Billy Butler, and Jacoby Ellsbury for the Yankees.
There is nothing heated between these franchises currently. That is not necessarily a bad thing as over time, there would be instances where the franchises are not as good as everyone else in the league. The Red Sox and Yankees are not the kings of the American League right now, explaining why there is not much of a competitive drive for both teams. It seems like every year with either see the Sox on top of the division with the Yanks on the bottom and vice versa the next year.
However, the future looks very bright for both teams. The Yankees traded away key pieces this year like Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran to get key prospects to be the future faces of the Franchise. Even though the Red Sox got swept by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the playoffs, they got a young team that will be competitive for many years to come. Once the teams start competing for division battle soon we are going to players like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Yoan Moncada for the Red Sox as well as Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Clint Frazier bringing the greatest rivalry sport in sports back on the map.
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