Great Rivalries: Yankees and Red Sox
How’s Your RQ? (Rivalry Quotient)
Copyright c 2006 by Evan Pritchard
PART TWO OF A REALLY LONG SERIES
How’s your RQ? (That’s your “Rivalry Quotient.”) How well do you know the military history between the Red Sox and Yankees? As the Yankees haggard and injured troops march north after being beaten (for the most part) by their other rivals, the Mets, to face one of history’s greatest teams, the Red Sox, it seems like a great time to dig up old animosities between these two hostile groups of individuals.
In and around New York, (such as most Mets fans try to be) all you hear about is the “curse” and how often ttthhheeeeee Yankees win. But Boston has been a worthy adversary since 1903, and if your father didn’t tell you, it’s time you knew just how fierce a rivalry it was before you were born—before HE was born—running right up into tonight when the Yankees will face one of the best starters in baseball today, Josh Beckett, and a hot Red Sox team at Fenway Park, a team eager to win, a team eager to prove themselves worthy, a team eager to rescue the captive center fielder Johnny Damon and bring him back to his people.
Yankee fans don’t always know their history. It’s easier to say, “We always win. Any questions?” But if you are a Red Sox fan, I assume you have memorized every play of every game since 1903, which is expected of you, as you will have to spend your life defending your team’s reputation against large crowds of belligerent rowdies as you wander the face of the earth in search of the Bucky Dent home run ball.
The following is a short RQ quiz that even some Red Sox fans will find truly amazing. That’s why we’re here, to amaze you with unbelievable stats which have nothing to do with winning ballgames.
THE RQ QUIZ
1. How many World Series have the Boston Red Sox (or “Pilgrims”) played in?
2. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees (or “Highlanders”) tied for first place at the
end of the regular season?
3. How many times have the Red Sox won the AL or Eastern Division rather than the Yankees?
4. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season in second place close behind the Yankees? How many times have the Yankees ended the season in second behind the Red Sox?
5. What was the worst era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees?
6. What was the best era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees?
7. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees ended the regular season with the same team batting average?
8. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Yankees?
9. How many times have the Yankees ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Red Sox?
10. How many times have the Red Sox led the Eastern Division in batting average in recent years since the three division system was introduced? How many times have the Yankees?
In the following study, we will compile some basic stats concerning this long-standing rivalry between Boston and New York baseball teams, and then crunch those numbers so that we can see how the teams really compare.
In the first part of this article, we will see a comparison of the batting averages of the earliest American League Boston and New York teams, up to the tragic moment when Babe Ruth was sold for cash to the Red Sox’ own rivals, shifting the balance of power over to the Bronx.
In the first phase, the “Babe In Scarlet Hose” days, we see the Boston team edge out the New York team in terms of batting average 10 times out of 17.
Early Days
Yr Team BA NY Team BA winner
1903 Pilgrims .272 Highlanders .249 P
1904 Red Sox .247 Highlanders .259 H
1905 Red Sox .247 Highlanders .248 H
1906 Red Sox .237 Highlanders .266 H
1907 Red Sox .234 Highlanders .249 H
1908 Red Sox .245 Highlanders .236 RS
1909 Red Sox .263 Highlanders .248 RS
1910 Red Sox .256 Highlanders .248 RS
1911 Red Sox .275 Highlanders .272 RS
1912 Red Sox .277 Highlanders . 259 RS
1913 Red Sox .269 Yankees .237 RS
1914 Red Sox .250 Yankees .229 RS
1915 Red Sox .240 Yankees .251 Y
1916 Red Sox .248 Yankees .246 RS
1917 Red Sox .246 Yankees . 239 RS
1918 Red Sox .249 Yankees .257 Y
1919 Red Sox .261 Yankees .267 Y
During this first phase of the rivalry, the “pre-curse” era, the Boston team leads in batting 10 times out of 17, the New York team leads in batting only 7 times. The Sox won 5 pennants and won all five World Series they played in.
Curse Phase
In the next phase, (see below) the “Curse of the Bambino” period of Red Sox history, we see the Yankees dominate in an overpowering manner, behind Babe Ruth.
1920 Red Sox .269 Yankees .280 Y
1921 Red Sox .277 Yankees .300 Y
1922 Red Sox .263 Yankees 287 Y
1923 Red Sox .261 Yankees .282 Y
1924 Red Sox .277 Yankees .289 Y
1925 Red Sox .266 Yankees .275 Y
1926 Red Sox .256 Yankees .289 Y
1927 Red Sox .259 Yankees .301 Y
1928 Red Sox .264 Yankees .296 Y
1929 Red Sox .267 Yankees .296 Y
1930 Red Sox .264 Yankees .309 Y
1931 Red Sox .262 Yankees .297 Y
1932 Red Sox .251 Yankees .286 Y
1933 Red Sox .253 Yankees .283 Y
1934 Red Sox .287 Yankees 278 RS
During the second phase of the rivalry, the “totally one-sided Curse of the Babe” phase, the Yankees did well under Babe Ruth and the Sox got the shaft. The Red Sox out-hit the Yankees only once, in 1934, during that 15 year period. In fact, few teams other than the Detroit Tigers out-hit the Yankees during that stretch.
The “Battle of the Joes” Phase
The following is the third phase, what we will call “The Battle of the Joes,” Joe Cronin versus The Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio phase. (At the end of this era, it was actually Joe versus his brother Dom DiMaggio) In this phase the Red Sox led the Yankees in batting average 10 seasons out of 16, almost exactly the tally from the first era, (10 out of 17) before Babe Ruth was traded. Unfortunately, the Red Sox only won the AL pennant once during this highly competitive phase, and that was in 1946, when the Sox led the Yanks in batting average by .23 points.
The Red Sox tied with the Yankees in wins in 1949, but lost the one game tie breaker, however they won the battle for batting average that year .282 to .269. At the end of this stage, the New York teams lead the Boston teams 27 to 21 in season batting average since their inceptions. However, not including the time that Babe Ruth was with the Yankees, the Red Sox led the Yankees in batting average 20 seasons to 13 up to this point.
1935 Red Sox .276 Yankees .280 Y
1936 Red Sox .276 Yankees .300 Y
1937 Red Sox 281 Yankees .283 Y
1938 Red Sox .299 Yankees .274 RS
1939 Red Sox .291 Yankees .287 RS
1940 Red Sox .286 Yankees .259 RS
1941 Red Sox .283 Yankees .269 RS
1942 Red Sox.276 Yankees .269 RS
1943 Red Sox .244 Yankees .256 Y
1944 Red Sox .270 Yankees .264 RS
1945 Red Sox .260 Yankees .259 RS
1946 Red Sox .271 Yankees .248 RS
1947 Red Sox .265 Yankees .271 Y
1948 Red Sox .274 Yankees .278 Y
1949 Red Sox .282 Yankees .269 RS
1950 Red Sox .302 Yankees .282 RS
The 1950s Era
The 1950s were a sad time for the Red Sox, and during that decade, the Yankees led in season batting average, 7 seasons to 3. Between 1947 and 1957, there was always at least one New York team in the World Series, and often two, while Boston was never invited.
1951 Red Sox .266 Yankees .269 Y
1952 Red Sox .255 Yankees .267 Y
1953 Red Sox .264 Yankees .273 Y
1954 Red Sox .266 Yankees .268 Y
1955 Red Sox .264 Yankees .260 RS
1956 Red Sox .275 Yankees .270 RS
1957 Red Sox .262 Yankees .268 Y
1958 Red Sox .256 Yankees .268 Y
1959 Red Sox .256 Yankees .260 Y
1960 Red Sox .261 Yankees .260 RS
Up to and including 1960, the season team batting totals are Yankees 34, Red Sox 24.
The Carl Yastrzemski Era
Then in 1961 came the dawning of the Carl Yastrzemski era, marking the rise of the heavy-hitting Red Sox outfielders who really gave the Yankees a run for the money, but only twice winning the pennant, in 1967, the year of Bob Gibson, and in 1975, the year of the Carlton Fisk homer. They also tied for first with the Yankees in 1978, leading to a one game playoff, leading to the Bucky Dent home run.
1961 Red Sox .254 Yankees .263 Y
1962 Red Sox .258 Yankees .267 Y
1963 Red Sox .252 Yankees .252 T
1964 Red Sox .258 Yankees .253 RS
1965 Red Sox .251 Yankees .235 RS
1966 Red Sox .240 Yankees .235 RS
1967 Red Sox .255 Yankees .225 RS
1968 Red Sox .236 Yankees .214 RS
1969 Red Sox .251 Yankees .235 RS
1970 Red Sox .262 Yankees .251 RS
1971 Red Sox .252 Yankees .254 Y
1972 Red Sox .248 Yankees .249 Y
1973 Red Sox .267 Yankees .261 RS
1974 Red Sox .264 Yankees .263 RS
1975 Red Sox .275 Yankees .264 RS
1976 Red Sox .263 Yankees .269 Y
1977 Red Sox .281 Yankees .281 T
1978 Red Sox .267 Yankees .267 T
1979 Red Sox .283 Yankees .266 RS
1980 Red Sox .283 Yankees .267 RS
1981 Red Sox .275 Yankees .252 RS
1982 Red Sox .274 Yankees .256 RS
1983 Red Sox .270 Yankees .273 Y
During the Carl Yastrzemski era, the two teams finished tied in batting average three times, a remarkable statistic. The other 20 years, the Yankees batters outdid the Red Sox hitters only 6 times during Yastrzemski’s career. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in this category14 times. The Red Sox were able lead the hit parade as often as Lennon and McCartney in the ‘60s. In fact, they beat out the Yankees in “hit records” every year consecutively between 1964 and 1970, the heyday of the Beatles exactly. In 1967, the year of Sgt. Peppers’ release, the Sox had their most memorable year and came within a game of winning the World Series.
In spite of the 14 to 6 score, it was a heated battle during the Yaz administration. The Sox led the league in hitting in 1964, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1980. The Yankees led the league in hitting in 1972, 1976, and 1977 (tie). Yastrzemski’s efforts helped the Sox come within two on the century’s batting contest; the totals for the century up to this point were Red Sox 38, Yankees 40.
After Yastrzemski faded into the shadow of the green monster, other great young sluggers such as Wade Boggs (1982-1992) continued the legacy of their mentor. In fact they crushed the Yankees in batting average each of the following 8 years. In further fact the Red Sox led the AL in hitting in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. They landed in first place in 1986, 1988 and 1990, while the Yankees won the pennant zero times between 1984 and 1991. As the smoke from the 1980s cleared, the Red Sox had come out ahead 45 to 40 in the yearly batting average “spitting contest” with the Yankees.
1984 Red Sox ..283 Yankees .276 RS
1985 Red Sox .282 Yankees .267 RS
1986 Red Sox .271 Yankees .271 T
1987 Red Sox .278 Yankees .262 RS
1988 Red Sox .283 Yankees .263 RS
1989 Red Sox .277 Yankees .269 RS
1990 Red Sox .272 Yankees .241 RS
1991 Red Sox .269 Yankees .264 RS
The twisting tides of fortune, as Howard Cosell would have said, turning again in favor of the Yankees in 1992. In 1994, the American League was divided into three divisions. From this point, the “league leading” bold type now means “division leading.”
1992 Red Sox ..246 Yankees .261 Y
1993 Red Sox .264 Yankees .279 Y
MULTIPLE DIVISION PLAY
1994 Red Sox .263 Yankees .290 Y
1995 Red Sox .280 Yankees .276 RS
1996 Red Sox .283 Yankees .288 Y
1997 Red Sox .291 Yankees .287 RS
1998 Red Sox .280 Yankees .288 Y
1999 Red Sox .278 Yankees .282 Y
2000 Red Sox .269 Yankees .277 Y
2001 Red Sox .266 Yankees .267 Y
2002 Red Sox .277 Yankees .275 RS
2003 Red Sox 289 Yankees .267 RS
2004 Red Sox .282 Yankees .268 RS
2005 Red Sox .281 Yankees .276 RS
During this last 14 year period, the Red Sox led the division in hitting for five years, in 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005. The Yankees also led in five years, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 1999. For those who haven’t been reading the news, the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, entering the post season as a wild card. They tied the Yankees for first place in 2005, but were not allowed the pleasure of a last figurative cigarette, a one game tie-breaker, because they had not won the season series with the Yankees. The Yankees and Red Sox have ended the season in first and second nine times during the last 12 years.
In this most recent phase, 1992 through 2005, the Yankees led in hitting 8 years out of 14 years, leaving the Sox with 6. At the end of the 2002 season, the Yankees and Red Sox were tied 48 to 48 in seasons leading the other in team batting average. However, during the last three years, the Sox have had the advantage, driving their number of seasons on top to 51. So after all the ups and downs, over the course of over a century, when it comes to season team batting average, the Red Sox come out ahead of the Yankees, 51 to 48, with a total of four ties between the two rivals.
From 1903 through 1995, the Red Sox landed in first place 11 times, and finished second 10 times, with fiveWorld Series wins. Since then the Sox have finished second behind the Yankees seven times and first one more time. This gives us a grand total of 12 first place finishes and 17 second place finishes behind the Yankees for the Red Sox in their team history.
But here is what is perhaps the most telling statistic of all in terms of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry: The Red Sox finished a close second behind the Yankees in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1949, *1978,* 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005*. (In 1949 the two teams tied, and the Red Sox lost the tie breaker; again in 1978, the same thing happened. In 2005 the Sox tied the Yankees again, but were reckoned to have ended in second place, because they had lost more games to the Yankees during the season series.) In 1986, and 1995, the Yankees ended up in second place behind the Red Sox. That’s 16 times the two teams ended in a close race for first; 14 times with the Red Sox in second (three of those after losing a tie breaker), 2 times with the Yankees in second. That my friends, is a true rivalry.
Before you scroll down further, go back to that RQ quiz again and see if you know the answers. The answers are given below.
1. How many World Series have the Boston Red Sox (or “Pilgrims”) played in? 10 World Series: 1903 (W) 1912 (W) 1915 (W) 1916 (W) 1918 (W) 1946 (L), 1967 (L)1975(L), 1986, (L) 2004 (W). How many have they won? Six, and were 5-0 before 1946.
2. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees (or “Highlanders”) tied for first place at the end of the regular season? Three times; 1949, 1978, 2005, each time, the Red Sox somehow ended up in second place. No two tie-breaking solutions were alike.
3. How many times have the Red Sox won the AL or Eastern Division rather than the Yankees? 12 times
4. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season in second place close behind the Yankees? 17 times. How many times have the Yankees ended the season in second behind the Red Sox? 2 times.
5. What was the worst era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees? During Babe Ruth’s tenure with the Yankees, the Red Sox only out-batted the Yanks once, and never posed a challenge in the standings.
6. What was the best era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees? 1984 to 1991, what I call the “Wade Boggs” era. They never had a lower team average than the Yankees during that time. They led the division in hitting five times, and ended in first place three times. The 23-year Yastrzemski era was also good, with the Yankees out-hitting the Sox only 6 times.
7. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees ended the regular season with the same team batting average? 4 times
8. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Yankees? 51 times
9. How many times have the Yankees ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Red Sox? 48 times.
10. How many times have the Red Sox led the Eastern Division in batting average since the three division system was introduced? 5 times. How many times have the Yankees? 4 times. How many times has each led the other in batting average under 3-division play? 6 times each.
Copyright c 2006 by Evan Pritchard
PART TWO OF A REALLY LONG SERIES
How’s your RQ? (That’s your “Rivalry Quotient.”) How well do you know the military history between the Red Sox and Yankees? As the Yankees haggard and injured troops march north after being beaten (for the most part) by their other rivals, the Mets, to face one of history’s greatest teams, the Red Sox, it seems like a great time to dig up old animosities between these two hostile groups of individuals.
In and around New York, (such as most Mets fans try to be) all you hear about is the “curse” and how often ttthhheeeeee Yankees win. But Boston has been a worthy adversary since 1903, and if your father didn’t tell you, it’s time you knew just how fierce a rivalry it was before you were born—before HE was born—running right up into tonight when the Yankees will face one of the best starters in baseball today, Josh Beckett, and a hot Red Sox team at Fenway Park, a team eager to win, a team eager to prove themselves worthy, a team eager to rescue the captive center fielder Johnny Damon and bring him back to his people.
Yankee fans don’t always know their history. It’s easier to say, “We always win. Any questions?” But if you are a Red Sox fan, I assume you have memorized every play of every game since 1903, which is expected of you, as you will have to spend your life defending your team’s reputation against large crowds of belligerent rowdies as you wander the face of the earth in search of the Bucky Dent home run ball.
The following is a short RQ quiz that even some Red Sox fans will find truly amazing. That’s why we’re here, to amaze you with unbelievable stats which have nothing to do with winning ballgames.
THE RQ QUIZ
1. How many World Series have the Boston Red Sox (or “Pilgrims”) played in?
2. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees (or “Highlanders”) tied for first place at the
end of the regular season?
3. How many times have the Red Sox won the AL or Eastern Division rather than the Yankees?
4. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season in second place close behind the Yankees? How many times have the Yankees ended the season in second behind the Red Sox?
5. What was the worst era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees?
6. What was the best era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees?
7. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees ended the regular season with the same team batting average?
8. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Yankees?
9. How many times have the Yankees ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Red Sox?
10. How many times have the Red Sox led the Eastern Division in batting average in recent years since the three division system was introduced? How many times have the Yankees?
In the following study, we will compile some basic stats concerning this long-standing rivalry between Boston and New York baseball teams, and then crunch those numbers so that we can see how the teams really compare.
In the first part of this article, we will see a comparison of the batting averages of the earliest American League Boston and New York teams, up to the tragic moment when Babe Ruth was sold for cash to the Red Sox’ own rivals, shifting the balance of power over to the Bronx.
In the first phase, the “Babe In Scarlet Hose” days, we see the Boston team edge out the New York team in terms of batting average 10 times out of 17.
Early Days
Yr Team BA NY Team BA winner
1903 Pilgrims .272 Highlanders .249 P
1904 Red Sox .247 Highlanders .259 H
1905 Red Sox .247 Highlanders .248 H
1906 Red Sox .237 Highlanders .266 H
1907 Red Sox .234 Highlanders .249 H
1908 Red Sox .245 Highlanders .236 RS
1909 Red Sox .263 Highlanders .248 RS
1910 Red Sox .256 Highlanders .248 RS
1911 Red Sox .275 Highlanders .272 RS
1912 Red Sox .277 Highlanders . 259 RS
1913 Red Sox .269 Yankees .237 RS
1914 Red Sox .250 Yankees .229 RS
1915 Red Sox .240 Yankees .251 Y
1916 Red Sox .248 Yankees .246 RS
1917 Red Sox .246 Yankees . 239 RS
1918 Red Sox .249 Yankees .257 Y
1919 Red Sox .261 Yankees .267 Y
During this first phase of the rivalry, the “pre-curse” era, the Boston team leads in batting 10 times out of 17, the New York team leads in batting only 7 times. The Sox won 5 pennants and won all five World Series they played in.
Curse Phase
In the next phase, (see below) the “Curse of the Bambino” period of Red Sox history, we see the Yankees dominate in an overpowering manner, behind Babe Ruth.
1920 Red Sox .269 Yankees .280 Y
1921 Red Sox .277 Yankees .300 Y
1922 Red Sox .263 Yankees 287 Y
1923 Red Sox .261 Yankees .282 Y
1924 Red Sox .277 Yankees .289 Y
1925 Red Sox .266 Yankees .275 Y
1926 Red Sox .256 Yankees .289 Y
1927 Red Sox .259 Yankees .301 Y
1928 Red Sox .264 Yankees .296 Y
1929 Red Sox .267 Yankees .296 Y
1930 Red Sox .264 Yankees .309 Y
1931 Red Sox .262 Yankees .297 Y
1932 Red Sox .251 Yankees .286 Y
1933 Red Sox .253 Yankees .283 Y
1934 Red Sox .287 Yankees 278 RS
During the second phase of the rivalry, the “totally one-sided Curse of the Babe” phase, the Yankees did well under Babe Ruth and the Sox got the shaft. The Red Sox out-hit the Yankees only once, in 1934, during that 15 year period. In fact, few teams other than the Detroit Tigers out-hit the Yankees during that stretch.
The “Battle of the Joes” Phase
The following is the third phase, what we will call “The Battle of the Joes,” Joe Cronin versus The Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio phase. (At the end of this era, it was actually Joe versus his brother Dom DiMaggio) In this phase the Red Sox led the Yankees in batting average 10 seasons out of 16, almost exactly the tally from the first era, (10 out of 17) before Babe Ruth was traded. Unfortunately, the Red Sox only won the AL pennant once during this highly competitive phase, and that was in 1946, when the Sox led the Yanks in batting average by .23 points.
The Red Sox tied with the Yankees in wins in 1949, but lost the one game tie breaker, however they won the battle for batting average that year .282 to .269. At the end of this stage, the New York teams lead the Boston teams 27 to 21 in season batting average since their inceptions. However, not including the time that Babe Ruth was with the Yankees, the Red Sox led the Yankees in batting average 20 seasons to 13 up to this point.
1935 Red Sox .276 Yankees .280 Y
1936 Red Sox .276 Yankees .300 Y
1937 Red Sox 281 Yankees .283 Y
1938 Red Sox .299 Yankees .274 RS
1939 Red Sox .291 Yankees .287 RS
1940 Red Sox .286 Yankees .259 RS
1941 Red Sox .283 Yankees .269 RS
1942 Red Sox.276 Yankees .269 RS
1943 Red Sox .244 Yankees .256 Y
1944 Red Sox .270 Yankees .264 RS
1945 Red Sox .260 Yankees .259 RS
1946 Red Sox .271 Yankees .248 RS
1947 Red Sox .265 Yankees .271 Y
1948 Red Sox .274 Yankees .278 Y
1949 Red Sox .282 Yankees .269 RS
1950 Red Sox .302 Yankees .282 RS
The 1950s Era
The 1950s were a sad time for the Red Sox, and during that decade, the Yankees led in season batting average, 7 seasons to 3. Between 1947 and 1957, there was always at least one New York team in the World Series, and often two, while Boston was never invited.
1951 Red Sox .266 Yankees .269 Y
1952 Red Sox .255 Yankees .267 Y
1953 Red Sox .264 Yankees .273 Y
1954 Red Sox .266 Yankees .268 Y
1955 Red Sox .264 Yankees .260 RS
1956 Red Sox .275 Yankees .270 RS
1957 Red Sox .262 Yankees .268 Y
1958 Red Sox .256 Yankees .268 Y
1959 Red Sox .256 Yankees .260 Y
1960 Red Sox .261 Yankees .260 RS
Up to and including 1960, the season team batting totals are Yankees 34, Red Sox 24.
The Carl Yastrzemski Era
Then in 1961 came the dawning of the Carl Yastrzemski era, marking the rise of the heavy-hitting Red Sox outfielders who really gave the Yankees a run for the money, but only twice winning the pennant, in 1967, the year of Bob Gibson, and in 1975, the year of the Carlton Fisk homer. They also tied for first with the Yankees in 1978, leading to a one game playoff, leading to the Bucky Dent home run.
1961 Red Sox .254 Yankees .263 Y
1962 Red Sox .258 Yankees .267 Y
1963 Red Sox .252 Yankees .252 T
1964 Red Sox .258 Yankees .253 RS
1965 Red Sox .251 Yankees .235 RS
1966 Red Sox .240 Yankees .235 RS
1967 Red Sox .255 Yankees .225 RS
1968 Red Sox .236 Yankees .214 RS
1969 Red Sox .251 Yankees .235 RS
1970 Red Sox .262 Yankees .251 RS
1971 Red Sox .252 Yankees .254 Y
1972 Red Sox .248 Yankees .249 Y
1973 Red Sox .267 Yankees .261 RS
1974 Red Sox .264 Yankees .263 RS
1975 Red Sox .275 Yankees .264 RS
1976 Red Sox .263 Yankees .269 Y
1977 Red Sox .281 Yankees .281 T
1978 Red Sox .267 Yankees .267 T
1979 Red Sox .283 Yankees .266 RS
1980 Red Sox .283 Yankees .267 RS
1981 Red Sox .275 Yankees .252 RS
1982 Red Sox .274 Yankees .256 RS
1983 Red Sox .270 Yankees .273 Y
During the Carl Yastrzemski era, the two teams finished tied in batting average three times, a remarkable statistic. The other 20 years, the Yankees batters outdid the Red Sox hitters only 6 times during Yastrzemski’s career. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in this category14 times. The Red Sox were able lead the hit parade as often as Lennon and McCartney in the ‘60s. In fact, they beat out the Yankees in “hit records” every year consecutively between 1964 and 1970, the heyday of the Beatles exactly. In 1967, the year of Sgt. Peppers’ release, the Sox had their most memorable year and came within a game of winning the World Series.
In spite of the 14 to 6 score, it was a heated battle during the Yaz administration. The Sox led the league in hitting in 1964, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1980. The Yankees led the league in hitting in 1972, 1976, and 1977 (tie). Yastrzemski’s efforts helped the Sox come within two on the century’s batting contest; the totals for the century up to this point were Red Sox 38, Yankees 40.
After Yastrzemski faded into the shadow of the green monster, other great young sluggers such as Wade Boggs (1982-1992) continued the legacy of their mentor. In fact they crushed the Yankees in batting average each of the following 8 years. In further fact the Red Sox led the AL in hitting in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. They landed in first place in 1986, 1988 and 1990, while the Yankees won the pennant zero times between 1984 and 1991. As the smoke from the 1980s cleared, the Red Sox had come out ahead 45 to 40 in the yearly batting average “spitting contest” with the Yankees.
1984 Red Sox ..283 Yankees .276 RS
1985 Red Sox .282 Yankees .267 RS
1986 Red Sox .271 Yankees .271 T
1987 Red Sox .278 Yankees .262 RS
1988 Red Sox .283 Yankees .263 RS
1989 Red Sox .277 Yankees .269 RS
1990 Red Sox .272 Yankees .241 RS
1991 Red Sox .269 Yankees .264 RS
The twisting tides of fortune, as Howard Cosell would have said, turning again in favor of the Yankees in 1992. In 1994, the American League was divided into three divisions. From this point, the “league leading” bold type now means “division leading.”
1992 Red Sox ..246 Yankees .261 Y
1993 Red Sox .264 Yankees .279 Y
MULTIPLE DIVISION PLAY
1994 Red Sox .263 Yankees .290 Y
1995 Red Sox .280 Yankees .276 RS
1996 Red Sox .283 Yankees .288 Y
1997 Red Sox .291 Yankees .287 RS
1998 Red Sox .280 Yankees .288 Y
1999 Red Sox .278 Yankees .282 Y
2000 Red Sox .269 Yankees .277 Y
2001 Red Sox .266 Yankees .267 Y
2002 Red Sox .277 Yankees .275 RS
2003 Red Sox 289 Yankees .267 RS
2004 Red Sox .282 Yankees .268 RS
2005 Red Sox .281 Yankees .276 RS
During this last 14 year period, the Red Sox led the division in hitting for five years, in 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005. The Yankees also led in five years, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 1999. For those who haven’t been reading the news, the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, entering the post season as a wild card. They tied the Yankees for first place in 2005, but were not allowed the pleasure of a last figurative cigarette, a one game tie-breaker, because they had not won the season series with the Yankees. The Yankees and Red Sox have ended the season in first and second nine times during the last 12 years.
In this most recent phase, 1992 through 2005, the Yankees led in hitting 8 years out of 14 years, leaving the Sox with 6. At the end of the 2002 season, the Yankees and Red Sox were tied 48 to 48 in seasons leading the other in team batting average. However, during the last three years, the Sox have had the advantage, driving their number of seasons on top to 51. So after all the ups and downs, over the course of over a century, when it comes to season team batting average, the Red Sox come out ahead of the Yankees, 51 to 48, with a total of four ties between the two rivals.
From 1903 through 1995, the Red Sox landed in first place 11 times, and finished second 10 times, with fiveWorld Series wins. Since then the Sox have finished second behind the Yankees seven times and first one more time. This gives us a grand total of 12 first place finishes and 17 second place finishes behind the Yankees for the Red Sox in their team history.
But here is what is perhaps the most telling statistic of all in terms of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry: The Red Sox finished a close second behind the Yankees in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1949, *1978,* 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005*. (In 1949 the two teams tied, and the Red Sox lost the tie breaker; again in 1978, the same thing happened. In 2005 the Sox tied the Yankees again, but were reckoned to have ended in second place, because they had lost more games to the Yankees during the season series.) In 1986, and 1995, the Yankees ended up in second place behind the Red Sox. That’s 16 times the two teams ended in a close race for first; 14 times with the Red Sox in second (three of those after losing a tie breaker), 2 times with the Yankees in second. That my friends, is a true rivalry.
Before you scroll down further, go back to that RQ quiz again and see if you know the answers. The answers are given below.
1. How many World Series have the Boston Red Sox (or “Pilgrims”) played in? 10 World Series: 1903 (W) 1912 (W) 1915 (W) 1916 (W) 1918 (W) 1946 (L), 1967 (L)1975(L), 1986, (L) 2004 (W). How many have they won? Six, and were 5-0 before 1946.
2. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees (or “Highlanders”) tied for first place at the end of the regular season? Three times; 1949, 1978, 2005, each time, the Red Sox somehow ended up in second place. No two tie-breaking solutions were alike.
3. How many times have the Red Sox won the AL or Eastern Division rather than the Yankees? 12 times
4. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season in second place close behind the Yankees? 17 times. How many times have the Yankees ended the season in second behind the Red Sox? 2 times.
5. What was the worst era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees? During Babe Ruth’s tenure with the Yankees, the Red Sox only out-batted the Yanks once, and never posed a challenge in the standings.
6. What was the best era for the Red Sox in comparison to the Yankees? 1984 to 1991, what I call the “Wade Boggs” era. They never had a lower team average than the Yankees during that time. They led the division in hitting five times, and ended in first place three times. The 23-year Yastrzemski era was also good, with the Yankees out-hitting the Sox only 6 times.
7. How many times have the Red Sox and Yankees ended the regular season with the same team batting average? 4 times
8. How many times have the Red Sox ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Yankees? 51 times
9. How many times have the Yankees ended the season with a higher team batting average than the Red Sox? 48 times.
10. How many times have the Red Sox led the Eastern Division in batting average since the three division system was introduced? 5 times. How many times have the Yankees? 4 times. How many times has each led the other in batting average under 3-division play? 6 times each.
posted by evan pritchard | 8:01 PM
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