The Turning Point | The Best Rivalry in Baseball (Yankees vs. Red Sox)

[Music] when you got to go to Yankees game didn't matter what time of year it was over just electric anticipation the animosity the excitement nothing like Yankee pedlar that's the best rivalry in baseball from a lot of Red Sox fans I think you have to go to New York the World Series Red Sox rivalry is the most exciting portion of my career that I get to visit year after year after year it ain't restraint both benches have empty you know you're working the Red Sox the Yankees it's never been an easy battle some of the best battles ever there's a playoff game every time we play them [Applause] [Music] you have to go through those miserable times and sports and the struggles to enjoy the good times [Applause] the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees for more than eight decades the greatest rivalry in sports wasn't much of a rivalry at all since Boston last captured a World Series in 1918 and their best player Babe Ruth had switched sides their heated and hated foes from New York had raised 26 championship banners [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 2003 looked to be the year the curse may be reversed Red Sox led the Yankees late in Game seven of the American League Championship Series they were just five outs from the team's first pennant since 1986 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] there's nothing like walking off the field game seven when I'm being hit that homerun devastated tears all your emotions but I think the group of guys that we had you know 80% of us it was the same team going in 2004 we kind of took the losses kind of a motivating factor 2003 was a bit of momentum for us and the team was still hungry we were so close the year before we felt like we had the best team around but we also knew adding a closer was going to help I think Kurt Schilling was going to help I think in the bigger picture for for all of us that stayed and knew what we had it was you know very motivating that following year to come back and fulfill you know a bigger destiny for us no one how far we had gone in 2003 and how close we had come we just kind of looked at each other and said you know as far as we went that year you know let's see if we can go even farther in 2004 when you looked at where they ended 2003 and what they did to make the team better in 2004 you you knew that the potential was there then at that point though you're still fighting history you're talking about the curse and you've got all this talent that's rolled through Boston year after year decade after decade and you think when's it finally gonna break through when's this finally going to happen with a few key newcomers added to a motivated core the Red Sox roster was geared to finally break the curse there was also an off the field idea aimed at reversing the team's luck bring back Tessa the Broadway musical ballad was used by the Royal rooters the team's loyal fans to taunt opponents during the first world series in 1903 this time we're gonna sing Boston instead of Tessie we recorded the song right across the street and you know we had a few of the players come over Bronson Arroyo Johnny Damon it was just like a little bit of a buzz starting to build on this thing you know the fans stopped singing the song when Ruth was traded hence 86 years without winning a World Series so I started to buy into the storyline and I was telling everybody that would listen so it's like a guarantee of World Series to get there however the Red Sox would need to finally find a way to vault past their storied rivals they would need a turning point [Applause] you on the morning of July 23rd 2004 the Red Sox were 52 and 43 a respectable nine games over 500 but still eight and a half games behind the New York Yankees the first place foes arrived in Boston for the first of three at Fenway and captured Friday night's series opener after plating the winning run in the ninth inning off closer Keith Foulke and New York takes Game one of this three-game series 8 to 7 their lead now nine and a half games over the Red Sox in the American League East the Sox were set to send number five starter Bronson Arroyo to the mound on Saturday the game was scheduled to begin at 3:15 but overnight rain had blanketed Fenway's old field on that Saturday morning all four umpires had been looking at the weather because outside it was absolutely horrible the intensity and the amount of rain that was coming down and when we got in our car ride to the to Fenway the four of us were an agreement that it stood a good chance that you know we work on the play with the old field we would actually use drying agent on the grass also because we couldn't get the surface to dry we would bring in helicopters that would have a hundred and seventy-five mile an hour downdraft if it flew six to ten feet off the ground and helped basically try to dry the surface so as amazing all the things we would do on the old field to get it ready and certainly that morning was another day where the field was soft on the top and not handling the rain well we get undressed and put our sweatshirt on and everything and then the clubhouse guy brought the weather people in meaning the ground screw and they told us the outlook was extremely poor and you know we just have to ride it out I mean everybody was up in the press box just watching the time tick away and wondering if this game was going to start you know we were there to do it on national television a little after one o'clock there was there was a lightening up of the rain and everything else and so I don't know if it was they were gonna make a decision at that time or whatever but I took the crew the entire crew went down the left-field line came out where the scoreboard is and we went to left-center field I remember there was discussions can the field get get playable you know safety and play abilities everyone's first priority and we want to get the game in if we can but it's got to be safe and there were places out there where there was standing water and how long would it take the field to drain and what could we do to get it in the discussion was whether we were gonna play or not and we'd have another meeting in an hour to see what we were gonna do elsewhere inside Fenway Park ken Casey in the Dropkick Murphys were preparing to perform Tessy live for the first time before the game decided to be a room was like that might not be a game that's like ah that's that that definitely you know for a ban waiting for that opportunity and like I said for us that you have to understand like this wasn't like a cross promotional marketing idea it was like we were like legit fans you know what I mean so we like kids in the candy store just the opportunity to do this and the thought that it might not happen was definitely a little of Obama an hour after the first meeting crew chief bruce fremming made a second trip to Fenway's outfield still raining the rain is incredible yet and I believe this is the decision telling time because it certainly doesn't look like we can play ball the weather's too bad we're gonna call a game this is and I can't give you the exact time but this it's after 2:30 and they wanted to tell the press so he said can you give us 15 minutes before you call the game and I said absolutely I remember the Yankees we're told and we got word from down below that they were getting dressed that they were getting out of their uniform into their into their street clothes and going to the bus and so that was the indication that well we may not know officially that this game has been called off but it sure seems like it has been fremming and his crew were still in the umpires dressing room when the phone rang Terry Francona said Bruce there's been a change in plans and I said are you in the clubhouse with some club people he said that would be right you know you had just kind of a bunch of guys just like what we're not gonna play no no we're gonna go play so you know Varitek and whoever it was had the idea of going to Franco's office we believed it Bronson Roy he's very underrated octane he was our fifth starter he was our guy we told more planned that was a hands-down the strangest probably the strangest day of my big-league career we were kind of on a on the downhill slide the Yankees were beating us up a little bit and I remember it was a couple of guys Millar was definitely one of them who they wanted to play the game because Kevin Brown was hurt and wasn't gonna be pitching that game and I think we were facing tanyon Sturtze instead and so there was this whole kind of gang of veteran guys and this wouldn't happen on very many teams these guys commended so much respect in that locker room that they could walk into management and say listen we need to play this game no matter what we need to find a way and we're not gonna cancel this thing we weren't afraid of the Yankees I mean we knew they were a very good team but because we were struggling we didn't feel like you know we should cancel the game so what it's a little cold a little damp the captain was in charge he he wanted to get the game going well I think that it was it was a collective it was we knew what was in front of us we knew what we had going we knew what they had available [ __ ] and we felt like it was an opportunity for us to to start you know taking some ground back from him and we wanted to play our goal and job was to get the field ready and so the team could to go out and play both teams could go out and play and I certainly felt that passion from the Red Sox players we went back in a dress room and we dressed and got ready for the game they said game on in like 30 minutes it was something so ridiculous I was taking a nap I mean you need 30 minutes to get prepared if you're ready to walk out of the clubhouse door and I was sleeping so I woke up almost and a stone-cold panic I mean the only thing I can compare it to honestly is like you know as a kid you have these dreams of going to school and you forgetting your clothes or something like that just this full-on panic I'm pitching against the Yankees today and and now they want me to go out there completely unprepared and so I thought my uniform as fast as I could after a 54 minute rain delay Bronson Arroyo was set to throw the first pitch at 409 p.m. at the time no one knew what was about to unfold [Music] you Red Sox players got their way on July 24th 2004 despite dire field conditions and the Yankees assumption the game had officially been postponed there would be baseball played that afternoon along rain delay and we were ready to play and things happen on and during the course of battle that's for sure before the game the Dropkick Murphys debuted their remake of the Royal rooters ballad Tessie we've got the chance to play the song and I'm telling everyone this is it season turns around here I'm gonna win the World Series and get back to the seats and uh you know it's just a blow up and I'm like it's over before it started three balls two strikes and reaching for it is Rodriguez now getting to the bag is Arroyo safe people that I have been telling like friends and stuff alike yeah how's that song working out you're the other jinx and all the stuff three two runner goes Posada with a base hit into centerfield and Rodriguez will end up the third the game started at 409 following an official 54 minute delay it took the Yankees less time to grab a lead Arroyo in trouble first and third nobody out and Matsui in the left centerfield that's going to put the Yankees on top hot box away in to score is Alex Rodriguez they will hold Posada on an RBI double by Matsui I didn't get an opportunity to do half the things that normally would prepare for a game I'm down to the bullpen I'm warming up and I know it's like it's game on adrenaline is absolutely spike to the ceiling and I'm out there in the middle of this game and I'm not even boost the Yankees were up 3 to nothing in the top of the third when Arroyo faced Alex Rodriguez so here y'all you got Bronson rallies 112 pounds wet six foot one blond hair blue eyed Cuban young man throws about 87 to 90 maybe max one ball one strike Alex was a guy who he needed to beat on the inner half and so i went in there twice it was like an 87 mile an hour sinker and hit him on the elbow pad Alex Rodriguez is grilled and you don't dominate the inside corner you're gonna get lit up you know day in and day out and it was one of those you know let me show a little bit of my stripes and you kind of barked out the Bronx and we'll Varitek at that points today go ahead and take your butt down to first base at first I didn't feel like I had a react first law because I thought it was an off-speed speed pitch I didn't think there was intent there you know just part of part of the game he felt he got hit he was going after Bronson and and you know yelling at Bronson and I got in the middle of it simple didn't do any damage but I think he was irritated that he thought maybe there was some intent there so he he said throw that plate and I was just kind of slowly walking towards him and the umpire to get another ball and just kind of smiling you know and he said throw this over the plate again and after he said the second time then Varitek basically said something I couldn't hear exactly the same but it along the lines of you know just go down to first base and shut your mouth you see Alex and few things but you couldn't see it with see what what tag was saying so I'm sure it wasn't very pleasant was it very nice and then erupted it into the wrestling match here we go Varitek and a-rod going at it I think the second bad word that was said to Varitek that's when we went gloved in the face you know we saw what happened their tech tries and go up picks him up with both legs and only gets one and I tried if you look at the pictures I tried to break it up with those two once I couldn't do that once they went to swing at each other off and we had with 50 players and cultures on the field love it now another fight off to the side Millar is in it Nixon is in it immediately I'm really close to the fight and I can remember thinking I don't want to get into this flight I want to let them to go one-on-one add it here for a minute and then you know it's only a split second and then the dog pile is hitting yeah you get that many big guys dancing around it you know you gotta kind of head on the swivel you got to kind of look out nothing against Alex it was just baseball it was you know the red sucking Yankee rivalry something told me that Alex didn't know much about Varitek you back the dog into a corner you better be ready to fight that's the guy we always looked to when we needed someone to speak up and do something and Jason was definitely there we obtaining skirts we had trot mentioned yeah Gabe Kapler me on-deck circle now becomes a you know this is a real fight and I think that's what we made our youth are robberies you know you we fought a lot some things tip people over the edge at times and that might bend you know because of the series and because of the situation that caused Alex to get pissed off so now when that was all over and we and the umpires got together again now we're together again as we had to take names and numbers it was excited at that time that obviously Varitek and Rodriguez would be ejected and that we and because the amount of fighting it was going on we would pick two other players one from each team and have them ejected when the dust settled Jason Varitek and Gabe Kapler were tossed for the Red Sox Alex Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton were gone for the Yankees but more importantly the Red Sox still trailed on the scoreboard and the deficit would grow to five runs by the middle of the sixth inning [Music] you on July 24th 2004 the Red Sox clubhouse had convinced team officials to play their captain had confronted a Yankee all-star and the team had chipped away at New York's 9 to 4 6th inning lead and trailed by just 2 heading into the 9th obviously a long long long day a lot of runs being scored on both sides and finally they take the lead they have you know their stud in the game and everybody knows what it would a phenomenal job he's done over and over down 10 to 8 facing future hall-of-famer Mariano Rivera Nomar Garciaparra led off the bottom of the ninth with a double the Oh 2 pitch Garciaparra hits it to left-center field it's down for extra bases Nomar came around to score on a one-out Kevin Millar single Bill Miller followed Millar representing the winning run the Oh Billy had already had some success against Mariano and we just I just felt like like something good was gonna happen you can look into Billy's eyes like you know what he had a tremendous amount of confidence at that time and you know Mariano he didn't really have that pinpoint accuracy and not at bat and all of a sudden three one town really strong and he you know was one of his cutters but it kind of like a groove in there I [Applause] never assumed it's gone just because you know when you're five ten about 185 they you know you don't assume it falls are gone at all ever and when Billy hit it you can look at Martin's head he looks straight down and just want to kind of peek at the ball to say you know hopefully it's big enough in right-field to hold it but it wasn't you know he just running a foot off and and you wants to told me the wall and then you can slow down [Applause] I was in the locker room and it was a bunch of us in there because the fight had really kind of skirts and stuff up you know when Billy Miller hits that homerun I I can remember it was the first time during the regular season that guys were so happy and jumping around inside the locker room not just on the field for the win almost as if it was a playoff game as far as I was concerned that day with that mess at the plate when the game ended and we were there forever he had the plate the game was over it was an exciting day in our career the Red Sox had come back to win 11 to 10 at Fenway and while they had only gained a game on the first place Yankees the events of July 24th 2004 were a turning point when Bill hit that home run and having moe on the mound you know you finally see almost like this juggernaut finally has a [ __ ] in his armor you know it just seemed to give us a little bit of hope against one of the greatest closers ever you know that was one of those games where you go back after the game that night and you think it just feels different in the AL East and it feels like the Red Sox now have the upper hand you [Music] the Red Sox arrived at Fenway Park the morning of July 24th 2004 nine and a half games behind the Yankees in the American League East back at Shepherd when they left late that night they were only a game better still eight and a half games out of first but something had turned inside Fenway parts home clubhouse it was a game that helped turn around the season helped us get out of that 500 type of attitude and playing style and you know we came together and we played very well I think it's you hugest part first thing it always comes everybody's mind I think it's chemistry you have you have a clubhouse that would go go to war for each other they would fight if need be it was without question probably the biggest regular-season game that we had had that season it kind of catapult this to for the last couple months so sometimes those things even though you don't exactly look to get in a fight it was something that we actually needed to kind of get us kickstart it definitely created some momentum and I think we took advantage of that day and and we we continued to build as a team and continue to stay competitive and and thought more of ourselves about who we were and and open that possibly you know we're going to be a lot better and at the end September October it did kind of feel like there was a change that day and it felt like a little bit of that power struggle that happens every year in the AL East swung toward the Boston Red Sox and and who knew what we had coming for us that October on July 24th 2004 no one could answer that question but when history occurred a few months later the impact that summer day had made was clear we went to and on that day we won the fight and we won the game that was a turning point

Channel: Boston Red Sox

Views: 313,119

Rating: 4.8314605 out of 5

Keywords: red sox, red socks, boston red sox, boston, fenway park, red sox vs yankees, new york yankees, rivalry, red sox yankees brawls, baseball brawls, best baseball brawls, 2004 red sox

Id: mJQ2juik-UA

Length: 24min 58sec (1498 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 29 2020