The New York Yankees enter their most crucial season series with something far worse than a losing streak—they’ve got Boston arrogance creeping back into the rivalry. According to the Boston Globe’s Tim Healy, the Red Sox are “better off, probably way better off” than in June, when they already took five of six games from the Yankees. In other words, Boston believes it has flipped the script on New York in just a couple of months.
That kind of bulletin board material exposes how quickly the Yankees’ aura of intimidation has evaporated. Not long ago, the Yankees carried themselves as the standard, the bar everyone else tried to reach. Now? Even a Red Sox team that just lost seven of its last 10 feels bold enough to lecture the baseball world about how much stronger they are than New York.
This is where the rivalry stands: the Yankees have been treading water at 26-29 since the two clubs last met, while Boston surged to 31-23 in that same stretch despite trading Rafael Devers. The numbers don’t lie—Boston got better after dealing its franchise cornerstone. The Yankees, meanwhile, keep looking for excuses.
Red Sox Ride Confidence, Yankees Risk Embarrassment
Trevor Story said to the Globe: “We’ve made a lot of strides in the last two or three months, obviously playing much better baseball.” Story has gone from a .217 hitter with whispers of a collapse to a .300 hitter with an .861 OPS, suddenly one of the better shortstops in the league. That’s what progress looks like.
Then there’s Roman Anthony, who looked like a rookie still finding his bearings when the Sox first faced New York. Now? He’s a fixture at the top of the lineup, grinding out at-bats and getting on base. Add back a healthy Alex Bregman, hot streaks from Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela, and suddenly Boston looks like a club that knows who it is.
On the mound, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello have joined Garrett Crochet to give Alex Cora three starters who can beat anyone in the league. Garrett Whitlock has become a shutdown setup man with a 2.13 ERA over two-plus months. Compare that to the Yankees’ staff, where Luis Gil and Will Warren are shoved into critical spots in a rivalry series that could decide the division’s direction.
The Red Sox were 9.5 games back the last time they saw New York. Today, they’re essentially even. Worse for the Yankees, even a split this weekend clinches the season series for Boston, giving them the postseason tiebreaker.
Yankees Enter Rivalry Series With Doubts Swirling
The Yankees are left staring down a brutal reality: they can’t afford to lose this series, but they also can’t afford to pretend Boston’s confidence is talk. The Red Sox already humiliated them in June. Now, with momentum and swagger, they smell blood.
For a franchise that prides itself on history and dominance, the idea that Boston feels “way better off” heading into the Bronx should sound the loudest alarm. If the Yankees allow the Red Sox to control this series, the narrative flips permanently—New York isn’t the bully anymore, it’s the target.
The question isn’t whether the Red Sox believe they’re better. It’s whether the Yankees have the stomach to prove them wrong before the rivalry—and maybe the season—slips away completely.
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