In American sport, few rivalries run as deep as the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox. It is a rivalry between two cities, two baseball cultures and more than a century of history. In Part 9 of The Greatest Rivalries in Sport, we look at the curse, the comebacks and the passion.
The sale of Babe Ruth
In the late 1910s, the Boston Red Sox were one of baseball's best teams, winning the World Series in 1918. Their star was a young pitcher and slugger named George Herman "Babe" Ruth.
In December 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the New York Yankees, with the deal announced in January 1920. Ruth became the greatest hitter of his era, transforming the Yankees into a dynasty. The Yankees won their first World Series in 1923 and went on to win more than any other team.
The Curse of the Bambino
After selling Ruth, the Red Sox did not win another World Series for 86 years. Fans and writers called it the "Curse of the Bambino", after Ruth's nickname. Painful near misses, including World Series losses in 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986, only added to the legend.
Meanwhile, the Yankees kept winning titles, which made the rivalry feel especially one-sided and bitter for Boston fans.
Famous moments
- 1949: the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the last two games of the season to win the American League pennant.
- 1978: after Boston blew a big lead, the teams met in a one-game playoff, won by the Yankees with a home run by Bucky Dent.
- 2003: the Yankees won the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in Game 7 with an extra-innings home run by Aaron Boone.
2004: the greatest comeback
In the 2004 ALCS, the Yankees won the first three games, including a 19 to 8 rout. No team in baseball history had ever come back from 3 games to 0 down in a best-of-seven series.
In Game 4, the Red Sox were three outs from elimination. A walk, a stolen base by Dave Roberts and a hit tied the game, and David Ortiz won it with a home run in extra innings. Ortiz also won Game 5 in extra innings. Pitcher Curt Schilling helped win Game 6, and Boston won Game 7 easily.
The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series since 1918, ending the curse. They won more titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018.
Why it is so intense
- The two teams play in the same division, so they meet many times every season.
- Boston and New York have a long-standing cultural rivalry beyond sport.
- Generations of families pass down loyalties and stories.
- Tight games, star players and high stakes keep adding new chapters.
Why it matters
Yankees versus Red Sox shows how rivalries can be shaped by a single decision, how legends grow from heartbreak, and how one comeback can change a city's sporting identity.
In the final part, we return to athletics and the duel that lit up middle-distance running: Sebastian Coe against Steve Ovett.
The Greatest Rivalries in Sport: the full series
- Part 1: Federer vs Nadal
- Part 2: Ali vs Frazier
- Part 3: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
- Part 4: Senna vs Prost
- Part 5: Magic vs Bird
- Part 6: The Ashes
- Part 7: Borg vs McEnroe
- Part 8: Evert vs Navratilova
- Part 9: Yankees vs Red Sox (you are here)
- Part 10: Coe vs Ovett
Records, scores and statistics are commonly cited figures and may vary slightly between sources.
