Best Rivalry in Baseball History

by Justin Blake
(Providence, Rhode Island)

Without a doubt in any baseball fan’s mind, the top rivalry in baseball history is definitely between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The rivalry has been going on for so many years, and it is even considered a taboo subject like politics and religion in some regions.

Historically, the Yankees have always had more success than the Sox, but things seem to be turning around since the Red Sox’s victory in 2004. Boston has won two World Series since that time. The rivalry started way before baseball existed. Boston and New York, as cities, had always been rivals, even before the American Revolution.

It is then no surprise to realize that their baseball teams had the same intense will of beating the other one. The Red Sox were really successful at the beginning of the century. Boston won the World Series in 1903 and four more times between 1912 and 1918.

The Yankees, called the Highlanders, were not as successful and were usually at the bottom of the rankings, with the exception of the 1904 title-deciding game they won over Boston. One of the major reasons for the feud between the Yankees and the Sox is undeniably the exchange of Babe Ruth from the Sox to the Yankees. Ruth launched the Yankees dynasty while totally ravaging the Red Sox.

Although both teams harbor a strong hate for one another, they often trade in players. The Yankees have acquired Kevin Cash, Alan Embree, Johnny Damon and Wade Boggs while the Sox have picked up David Cone, Nick Green, Mike Lowell and Ramiro Mendoza, among other players.

The long historic story of the rivalry is really showcasing this rivalry as being the best all time pro baseball rivalry in the history of the National League. In all the history of this rivalry, both teams have met 1,779 times, the first meeting being on April 26th 1901.

The rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox is perhaps the oldest, but also the fiercest rivalry in baseball, but also in American sport’s history. It has been ongoing for more than 100 years, and it really isn’t about to stop. The Red Sox and the Yankees really are the best all time pro baseball rivalry the sport’s world has ever seen.

Here's another opinion that the Red Sox - Yankees rivalry is the best.