The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry doesn’t need much to boil over, but last weekend, it was a rookie who turned up the heat. Before his first-ever start against New York, a Red Sox pitcher made headlines with a declaration that felt pulled straight from Fenway lore: if the Yankees were the last team offering him a contract, he’d rather retire. That quote, rich with spite and swagger, caught fire instantly. But when the story behind it came into question, so did the facts.

Hunter Dobbins, a 25-year-old right-hander still finding his footing in the majors, linked his anti-Yankee stance to a deeply personal story. In a Boston Herald interview, he claimed his father, Lance Dobbins, had been drafted twice by the Yankees, signed the second time, and eventually traded to the Diamondbacks. It was the kind of family lore that deepens a rivalry, until the receipts didn’t match. A search of Baseball Reference revealed no such draft history, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed the team’s amateur scouting department had no record of Lance Dobbins being selected or signed.

When asked about the growing controversy, Dobbins didn’t dodge. Instead, he cleared the air that the backstory came from childhood memories, pictures, and stories from his dad. “I don’t go and fact-check my dad or anything like that,” Dobbins said. “We’re just having some fun… It’s part of the rivalry. Anything involving Boston and New York is going to turn into a story.”

He admitted to briefly discussing it with his father but insisted his full focus is on baseball, not the media frenzy. “This is my first time in the big leagues facing the same team back-to-back,” he said. “That’s where my focus is 100%.”

As for the New York Post’s follow-up story dissecting the inaccuracies? Dobbins didn’t flinch. “It doesn’t bother me… My focus is performing for the guys here in the locker room, for the fans of Boston. Even y’all.”

In the end, the facts behind his father’s draft history may be murky, but Dobbins’ loyalty to Boston is crystal clear. Whether or not Lance Dobbins ever wore Yankees pinstripes, his son has made one thing certain—he never will.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone laughs it off, calls it ‘funny’

Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t need long to respond to Hunter Dobbins’ jab; he grinned, shrugged, and kept it light. Asked about the Red Sox rookie’s claim that he’d “retire before signing with the Yankees,” Boone didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. “He’s young,” Boone said with a chuckle. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a dig at our players… it’s just a comment of his love of his team. A little funny.” If the Yankees were rattled, Boone wasn’t showing it.

That measured response is classic Boone: calm, cool, and letting the moment breathe. After all, this is baseball’s most storied rivalry, and a few fiery words from a rookie won’t disrupt the clubhouse. Boone seemed to view Dobbins’ comment more as youthful enthusiasm than disrespect. In a rivalry fueled by moments like this, he knows when to push back and when to let it roll off his back. In this case? He chose to laugh.

Former Yankees reliever Lucas Luetge, however, couldn’t resist chiming in with a little playful shade. Taking to social media, Luetge posted: “A couple million dollars would change that opinion real quick.” It was the kind of dry humor that cut straight through the noise because in the big leagues, loyalty can be deep, but money still talks.

Boone may have laughed, but around the league, Dobbins’ bold stance sparked plenty of eyebrow raises and a few smirks.