MLB Rewind: The infamous brawl between Alex Rodriguez and current Boston Red Sox game-planning coordinator burned all bridges for reconciliation 18 years ago
Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox got into one of the most famous MLB brawls of all time back in 2004. Nearly 18 years later, the two have not spoken to one another about the incident. This article looks at the famous brawl and the impact it has had on the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.
Alex Rodriguez-Jason Varitek Brawl: 18 years later
The date is July 24, 2004, when the New York Yankees travel to Fenway Park to play their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox. The two teams are competing for first place in the division, with the Yankees having a 61-35 record and a 8.5 game lead over the rival Red Sox. Before the brawl, both teams had plenty of history of altercations.
The incidents from the 2003 American League Championship Series carried into the 2004 season and no doubt played a role in the altercation between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek. Here is the famous altercation between Rodriguez and Varitiek.
Eighteen years later, neither Rodriguez nor Varitek have spoken to each other. Jason Varitek is currently the Boston Red Sox game-planning coordinator. Alex Rodriguez is currently a baseball analyst for ESPN and part-owner of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves.
David Ortiz says he's going to settle the beef between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek https://t.co/wfoCY9WqpN
"David Ortiz says he's going to settle the beef between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek" - @ Talkin' Yanks
David Ortiz said he is going to try to work it out between the two all these years later.
Before the Brawl: 2003 ALCS
Prior to 2004, the Yankees and Red Sox squared off in one of the best American League Championship Series of all-time. The series went on to a seventh game at Yankee Stadium with Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez on the mound.
Going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Red Sox had a 5-2 lead and were six outs away from going to the World Series for the first time since 1986. Red Sox manager Grady Little left the Red Sox ace in the game too long, and the Yankees ambushed Martinez for three runs in the eighth inning to send the game to extra innings.
After blowing the lead in the eighth inning, the momentum was on the Yankees side. Aaron Boone, who is now the current Yankees manager, delivered in the clutch with a walk-off home run.
Earlier in the series, Pedro Martinez threw down Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer during a bench-clearing brawl at Fenway Park during Game 3.
Overall, the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry is one of the most heated rivalries in any sport. Varitek and the Red Sox got the last laugh, as they would go on to win the World Series in 2004, winning the title for the first time since 1918.