It was July 2019. Former Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon made a plea to ESPN in his X post, taking a dig at the Yankees legend, Alex Rodriguez. While that incident is still living in our minds afresh, another post from the Boston legend kickstarted the infamous brawl. And, well, the rivalry continues…

Even if the intensity of the clash of AL East clans might have faded, the three-game series between the Yankees and the Red Sox at Boston screams attention. Last weekend, the Red Sox pocketed two out of the three games from the Yankees at the Bronx, and now they will look to replicate the same magic once again. So, while the archenemies are set on yet another weekend faceoff, the legendary feud has made a spinoff.

Six years back, Jonathan Papelbon kind of mocked A-Rod via ESPN. “Hey ESPN, when you all are ready to do a documentary on the real captain who whipped A-Rod’s A– let me know.” It was a reference to the tussle between the former Red Sox captain, Jason Varitek, and Alex Rodriguez.

While none of them are on talking terms at the moment, Papelbon is at it again. Recently, in an interview with NESN, he added fuel to the feud with a hilarious reaction. When asked about his best moment of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, Papelbon recalled, “Any time I punched out A-Rod… What a favorite moment because I hated A-Rod, hated playing against him, and probably still hate him.”

Probably that’s what we wanted to hear. The fact that Alex Rodriguez once made things tough for Jonathan Papelbon is not a secret. This gave the deep-rooted rivalry the much-needed spark it needed. In his 21 appearances at the plate, Rodriguez went 5-17, posting two homers and 5 RBIs and batted at an average of .294 with a 1.134 OPS.

It wasn’t the first time Papelbon made such statements. Back in 2024, he expressed his views on his least favorite Yankee, Derek Jeter. Even then, he talked about not being a fan of A-Rod. According to Papelbon, he respects players, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will like that player as a person.

Now, after all these years, Papelbon’s hilarious confession might infuse humor into the rivalry. The 21-year-old incident involving Jason Varitek smashing A-Rod was one instance shown during the Red Sox vs. Yankees game this season. And that has sparked our memories of the arch-nemesis.

Reminiscing about the fight in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry: Jason Varitek vs. Alex Rodriguez 

The intense and long-standing rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is not the same anymore. Though not dead, it has definitely dialed down. And in such a scenario, plus with Papelbon’s comments, we couldn’t help but walk you down memory lane a bit.  

Referring to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, Aaron Boone shared, “It always feels big to me, and I know it does to our guys, too.” And one of those big moments was the infamous faceoff on July 24, 2004.

Entering the game, the Bronx Bombers were leading by 8.5 games. The excitement was over the top at Fenway Park. And the Pinstripes were already leading by 3-0 in their third inning. But all of a sudden, something took the spotlight away from the game.

While facing the Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo, Alex Rodriguez got hit on his left arm with a slow curveball. But despite the unintentional throw, Rodriguez delivered a scathing attack on the pitcher. Captain Jason Varitek was quick enough to respond and stepped into the matter. Rodriguez was told to get back to the base. But Varitek’s statement of “Hey dude, we don’t hit .260 hitters” added fuel to the incident. And there it was – players from the dugout rushed to the spot and soon, they were embroiled in a heated exchange of words and fights.

The outcome of the feud of hefty fines and suspensions of Tek and A-Rod for four games, each.

Rodriguez recalled that incident. “How strong is our rivalry? I have so much respect for Jason Varitek, but that fight was the last conversation we had. So when you talk about how serious it is, it is dead serious.” Yep, ever since that brawl, they haven’t talked to date.

While the intensity of the rivalry has somewhat dwindled in the past few decades, fans still stay excited whenever the two teams face off against each other. Would you like to share your favorite moment from a Red Sox-Yankees game? The comment section is open…