The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry enters a new, uncertain era

Out and about in Seattle Wednesday morning and wearing my Red Sox cap, I was stopped by a guy in a Yankees cap. He passed me and walked around so he could face me. By then he’d already made it weird, but he also tipped his cap, and attempted to bond with me over both of us being outsiders amid so many Mariners fans.
How dare you, sir?!
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He seemed nice enough—and certainly didn’t lay down any taunts, which in retrospect I really have to give him credit for. He’s choosing to walk a different path from many Yankees fans I have known, and that’s honorable. But I low-key hated him anyway.
But what I hated more was that I had nothing to say. Even my usually rich inner monologue was quiet. I closed our brief conversation with a lame nod to the upcoming series, “We’ll see how they do, huh?”
And that makes me sad. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has been strong my entire life, and it identifies me individually as much as it identifies Red Sox Nation as a whole. There has always been something to say, feel, think about, get emotional over, and for that part of me to go so silent is a strange feeling. Not that I don’t care, and can’t summon past emotions in a heartbeat because I can and do.

Barely-there little-kid memories of huge moments with Fisk (and Dent, fuck him).

Superstars on both rosters that promised (and delivered) more huge moments through the 80s and 90s.

Anticipation of every game of every series.

There were lean years living in NYC while the Curse was still very much alive, when my friends and I went to Yankee Stadium to see our beloved Sox—but in disguise, to avoid being physically beaten. Our disguises consisted of anything that represented New England but didn’t literally feature the word “Boston.” (Many thanks to an old Tanglewood T-shirt, and a number of others.) There were many members of this secret society, and we smiled knowingly at each other as we waited in line to buy beer while the Yankees fans never suspected a thing.

More superstars arrived, for both teams, more highly anticipated match-ups.

In the past few years, even when we may not have had much against the Yankees, we had Devers against Cole, and that was glorious.

Because we could all use a boost right now, here are all eight homers Devers mashed against Cole.
And here’s Cole admitting the problem, by intentionally walking Devers with the bases empty in September 2024. Whee, that was fun!
But these days are a different story. The Sox never recovered their form after an absolutely anemic loss to the Yankees in the final game of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series. The team has spent the 2026 season showing how lifeless their offense is. Against the Yankees in particular, they are just 2-4, even after last night’s win.
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Returning to Fenway (where the Sox have a dismal record of 13-25) doesn’t seem promising, especially coming off a road trip that only further deflated the mood. Though they had been better on the road, this trip ended 3-3 and included a series loss to Colorado as they gave away late leads to a terrible Rockies team.
What do the Red Sox have to lean into against the Yankees this time? Craftiness. Hatred roiling beneath the surface. Big emotions and the possibility of redemption. Can any of this be used to edge out an otherwise superior team? Several current Sox players may have grist for the mill.

“It’s easy to hate the Yankees.”

Yes, that’s out of context but I’m taking that liberty today. Gray has gone into some detail about how little he and his family enjoyed his time with the Yankees as well as his “immediate yes” to the Sox. The veteran has been a good pickup for the Sox this year, and with trade talk ahead of the deadline, this series could be something of a swan song for him. The motivation is there.
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Like Gray, Chapman has a legitimate bone to pick with the Yankees, and isn’t afraid to say it. He initially said in 2025 that he’d “retire on the spot” rather than play for New York again. This month, he’s had to reframe that, based on trade deadline realities, but he still said that Brian Cashman needs to “apologize” for issuing a false narrative about what happened with Chapman at the end of the 2022 season. So much bad blood—and I’m not talking about the leg infection brought on by the tattoo that’s at the bottom of all these hard feelings!
Suárez endeared himself to Red Sox Nation right away by professing a childhood love of the Red Sox.

“When I was a kid and we would watch baseball on TV, what would be on was Red Sox‑Yankees… I asked, ‘Why is no one going for Boston?’ and that’s where the interest started.”

Loyalty, love of the underdog. It’s all there.
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He said that the Toronto Blue Jays were hoping to face the Yankees in the 2025 ALDS because they thought Boston would be the “tougher matchup” and opponent. That ruffled the feathers of Aaron Boone and Yankees fans, and I’m here for that.

“You want to beat the Yankees all the time.”

These are the words of a hard-driving competitor, not an expression of personal feeling. But as one of the best parts of the 2026 season, and an undeniable emotional touchstone for the team and fans alike, maybe Tolle and his drive will light a fire under the team for the upcoming series.
Another example of how the young guys might lead the way against the Yankees. In the 2025 AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees, Early became the youngest Red Sox pitcher to start a postseason game since Babe Ruth in 1916. He was amazing for the first three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth. It didn’t help that the Sox offense didn’t help him out at all. It was also tough that the Sox were shutout by the game’s other young, rookie pitcher, Walpole’s own Cam Schlittler (now of Southie). Coming out on the losing side of that directly comparable matchup must have stung. It’s melodramatic to say that Early might be looking for redemption, but he’ll want to add to his growing résumé, at the very least.
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This isn’t the classic, star-studded rivalry of Ortiz vs. Jeter. I doubt we’ll see a huge moment along the lines of Varitek vs. A-Rod during this series.
Despite the game one win, the series appears to be a complete mismatch in terms of on-field talent. But could it become a gritty psychological battle? Could this terrible Red Sox team, heavily depleted by injuries, pull something out of their collective hat against the Yankees by sheer force of will?
The odds are against it, especially at home, but you’ve got crafty veterans and simmering hatred, alongside highly competitive up-and-comers. If there is a moment for the Red Sox to try to rewrite their 2026 narrative, and possibly the trajectory of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, it’s now.
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