“You take pride in being a Yankee. You know, when you come here, the No. 1 ultimate goal is winning a championship,” CC Sabathia once said about the Yankees’ culture. This was expected, considering he played for the Yankees and the team’s dominance on the diamond. But how do you feel when the Yankees’ culture is praised by a core Boston Red Sox member? Pedro Martinez just left the Red Sox fans in disbelief by doing it.

Well, for the unversed, Martinez was at the peak of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Every time he took the mound against the Yankees, it felt like a war. And if there was one thing Red Sox fans knew for sure, it was that Martinez wasn’t afraid to show how much he disliked the New York Yankees. But it appears things do change with time.

Fast forward to the present, the Hall of Famer doesn’t mind giving credit where it’s due, even if it’s to the Yankees. “The thing that impresses me the most is how the Yankees present themselves. The culture that they have. It’s a presence unlike anybody else. It must be the pinstripes,” Pedro stirred controversy in the middle of Tuesday night’s Yankees-Royals game.

Well, this remark was enough to leave a lot of fans wondering. For the Red Sox faithful, it is surely shocking that Martinez had such good words for their archrivals. This is particularly shocking, given that it’s coming from Martinez, the face of Boston, who took the fight to the Yankees in their 2004 triumphant campaign.

But has Martinez just said it to gain some brownie points, with no substance? For starters, Martinez is not the first Red Sox veteran who is impressed with the Yankees. “The Yankees are a tradition,” another Red Sox legend, Johnny Damon, said a few days ago. So, what’s behind this Yankees culture?

Well, when it comes to culture, the Yankees are often considered a gold standard in MLB. And why not? When you have a record 27 World Series titles, your winning mentality is sure to be credited. This winning culture in the Yankees, where anything less than winning is considered a failure, is something the other franchises have yet to possess. Unlike anybody else, as remarked by Martinez. Consistency? Since 1995, the Yankees have missed the playoffs only five times, maintaining a clear, championship-driven focus. This is, again, something that the other teams are yet to show.

Now, Yankees culture is woven by the biggest names in the business. Ranging from Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter to the current Aaron Judge, the team knows how to manage big egos. So, when the Yankees take the field, they are not just playing the game, but making it a star-studded affair. The Yankees’ home attendance stood at 3.31 million last year, and that sums up the ecosystem they have built.

That’s why players from other franchises dream about playing for the Yankees at least once! Pedro Martinez is no exception.

Pedro Martinez once dreamed of being a Yankee

We have seen Pedro Martinez build his legacy by tormenting the Yankees in a Red Sox jersey. But he once admitted that he would have loved to play for the Yankees at some point in his career. He even revealed that before signing with the Red Sox in 1998, he hoped the Yankees would make a serious offer, but it never came. “I asked for a trade three times to play with the New York Yankees,” Martinez revealed last year.

Well, as Martinez was always a central figure in the Yankees-Red Sox drama, this statement came as a culture shock for the fans. Remember his infamous clash with the Yankees during the 2003 ALCS? That included a heated moment where he shoved then-Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground during a bench-clearing brawl. Ah, you might have seen hundreds of on-field brawls with the Yankees, but deep down, they are still a dream destination for many!

So, while we might have missed Martinez donning the pinstripes, other players have also wished to play for the Yankees at least once in their careers. “I grew up a Yankee fan my whole life, everybody knew that, I grew up watching some really good Yankee teams…Bernie, Jeter, Posada, I loved those teams,” Bryce Harper once said, referring to how the Yankees are more than just a team. They’re part of a larger culture in MLB.

Thus, the Yankees’ history makes it a bucket-list destination. Love it or hate it, even for those who spent most of their careers elsewhere, they feel the same. So when Martinez praised the Yankees’ culture today, it’s not random. Rather, it’s about a legacy that even rivals can’t ignore.