There aren’t many rivalries that may match the historic significance and notoriety of the Yankees and the Purple Sox.

Regardless of greater than 100 years of historical past as rivals, the 2 groups have hardly ever confronted off in opposition to each other within the postseason. This stems from the truth that the 2 groups play in the identical division and, till 1995 with the introduction of the wild-card and division sequence, just one staff per division might attain the postseason.

However there have been many memorable moments when the 2 have confronted in decisive video games. From the Bucky Dent tie-breaker sport to the primary postseason assembly in 1999 to the assembly of 100-win seasons in 2018, the Purple Sox and Yankees have at all times delivered on the hype.

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For the primary time, the 2 groups will face off within the winner-moves-on, loser-goes-home wild-card sport on Tuesday. Forward of the anticipated conflict, Sporting Information appears to be like again on the historical past of elimination video games between the 2 groups.

1978 tie-breaker sport

This is not technically a playoff sport, but it surely was by all means an elimination sport.

The Purple Sox and Yankees completed the 1978 seasons with matching 99-63 data and tied for first place within the AL East. Thus, a 163rd regular-season sport needed to be added to their schedules to resolve who would characterize the East within the American League Championship Sequence.

Based mostly on a coin flip, the Purple Sox have been designated as the house staff.

Boston went with Mike Torrez, its Opening Day beginning pitcher, to toe the rubber. Torrez got here into the sport with a 16-12 document. He had a 3.92 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 243.1 innings of labor. The Yankees turned to their ace and the eventual 1978 AL Cy Younger winner, Ron Guidry, for the beginning. Guidry had been a power in 1978, having pitched to a 24-3 document with a 1.72 ERA over 267.1 innings. He struck out 243 batters and allowed solely a .191 batting common.

In the second inning, Carl Yastrzemski took Guidry deep to provide the Purple Sox a lead. Within the backside of the sixth, Jim Rice scored Rick Burleson to make it a 2-0 sport. Torrez was dealing on the mound till the seventh inning. The Yankees put two runners on base, however with two outs Torrez solely needed to retire Bucky Dent to finish the inning.

Dent owned a .243/.286/.309 slash line coming into the sport and had hit simply 4 house runs that season and solely 22 in his first 789 video games within the massive leagues. Naturally, he took Torrez deep for a go-ahead three-run homer that gave New York the lead. The Yankees added one other run within the inning and yet another within the prime of the eighth to take a 5-2 lead. The Purple Sox added two extra runs within the backside of the eighth, however Goose Gossage held the lead and pushed the Yankees on to a 5-4 win and a spot within the ALCS.

The Yankees went on to win the World Sequence. The Purple Sox noticed one other yr go by with out a title.

2003 American League Championship Sequence

This complete sequence ranks extremely among the many most entertaining in baseball’s historical past.

The Purple Sox received Recreation 1, the Yankees received 2 and three, the Purple Sox received Recreation 4, the Yankees received Recreation 5 and the Purple Sox received Recreation 6 to power the ultimate sport. Recreation 3 featured one of the vital memorable moments within the rivalry when Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia, clearing the benches, earlier than Roger Clemens retaliated by throwing excessive and tight to Manny Ramirez to begin a brawl. Throughout that brawl, Martinez grabbed Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer by the top and threw him to the bottom. Fines have been assessed and tempers have been fired up halfway by means of the sequence.

When the Purple Sox compelled Recreation 7 in Yankee Stadium, it appeared the sequence was destined for a dramatic end. Certain sufficient, the sport delivered. 

Martinez began in opposition to Clemons on the mound, however the Purple Sox obtained to the Yankees’ ace early. With one out and a runner on within the prime of the second, Trot Nixon crushed a homer to right-center to place Boston forward 2-0. Jason Varitek doubled and scored on throwing error by Enrique Wilson to make it a 3-0 lead. Kevin Millar hit a house run off Clemens within the prime of the fourth and after a stroll and single, the Purple Sox had chased Clemens from the sport and compelled the Yankees to herald Mike Mussina from the bullpen.

The Yankees added a run again when Jason Giambi homered off Martinez within the backside of the fifth and he slugged one other one within the backside of the seventh to make it a 4-2 sport, however David Ortiz launched one among his personal within the prime of the eighth off David Wells to deliver Boston’s lead again as much as three runs.

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Then, Boston started to lose management of the sport. Within the backside of the eighth, Derek Jeter doubled with one out and got here round to attain on a single by Bernie Williams that introduced the rating to 5-3. Purple Sox supervisor Grady Little got here out to the mound to speak to Martinez, however opted to go away him in. The choice, since second-guessed by many, backfired. A tiring Martinez gave up a ground-rule double to Hideki Matsui and a two-RBI double to Jorge Posada to tie the sport at 5. Martinez was then pulled from the sport. The Yankees picked up two extra baserunners within the inning, together with Ruben Sierra, who was deliberately walked and lifted for a pinch-runner by the identify of Aaron Boone, however Mike Timlin stranded the bases loaded.

The ninth and tenth innings glided by quietly as Timlin and Tim Wakefield mixed for 2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Purple Sox, and Mariano Rivera delivered three scoreless frames for the Yankees. However within the backside of the eleventh, the sport met its conclusion.

Main off the inning, Boone, now New York’s supervisor, etched his identify without end in Yankees lore when he crushed the primary pitch he noticed from Wakefield into left discipline for a no-doubt house run. The Yankees have been as soon as once more American League champions, although they might go on to lose the World Sequence to the Marlins.

Little was fired after the season, and the Purple Sox introduced within the bench coach of the 2003 Athletics, a skipper who beforehand managed the Phillies from 1996 to 2000, although by no means posted a profitable season. Enter Terry Francona.

2004 American League Championship Sequence

For the second straight yr, the American League pennant would go to one of many two northeast rivals.

This time, although, it appeared as if there was going to be far much less drama. The Yankees owned the perfect document within the American League and seemed to be runaway favorites for the pennant.

And New York definitely cemented that standing early. The Yankees took Recreation 1 10-7, Recreation 2 3-1 and Recreation 3 19-8. Up 3-0 within the sequence needing only one sport to clinch the pennant, the Yankees had champagne bottles on ice simply ready for the second.

However the Purple Sox did not hand over. It took 12 innings for them to win Recreation 4. Tim Wakefield had his revenge pitching in aid and took the win in walk-off vogue on an Ortiz homer within the backside of the 14th in Recreation 5. Curt Schilling pitched Boston to a good sequence within the well-known “Bloody Sock Recreation” in Recreation 6 because the Purple Sox received 4-2. 

Searching for some drama in Recreation 7? Sorry, this is not that sport. Ortiz homered within the prime of the primary to drive in two off Kevin Brown. Johnny Damon constructed Boston as much as a 6-0 lead with a grand slam within the prime of the second. Jeter singled in a run within the backside of the third, however Damon introduced it proper again with a two-run homer within the prime of the fourth to make it an 8-1 sport. The Yankees added two runs within the backside of the seventh off Martinez, who got here in to pitch in aid, however the Purple Sox once more added these runs again within the prime of the eighth and prime of the ninth to win 10-3.

The Purple Sox went on to face the Cardinals, who had the perfect document in baseball that yr with 105 wins, but it surely did not matter. Boston had all of the momentum and received 4 straight to comb the World Sequence and declare its first Fall Basic since 1918.

Different playoff sequence between the groups

Solely thrice have the Purple Sox and Yankees performed off in a win-or-go-home sport, however they’ve met within the playoffs a number of different occasions as effectively.

The primary assembly got here in 1999, when the 2 met within the American League Championship Sequence. The Yankees have been within the midst of their newest dynastic run and received the primary two video games in opposition to Boston earlier than the Purple Sox obtained on the board in resounding vogue, selecting up a 13-1 win. However the Yankees outscored them 15-3 within the subsequent two video games at Fenway Park to achieve the World Sequence, the place they might win in opposition to the Braves in 4 video games.

They met most not too long ago within the 2018 ALDS with each groups having completed the season with 100-plus-wins. The Purple Sox received a detailed first sport and the Yankees evened the matchup within the second sport, however Boston handed New York its worst postseason loss in franchise historical past with a 16-1 defeat in Recreation 3. The Purple Sox received 4-3 within the subsequent sport to win the sequence 3-1. They went on to win the World Sequence 4-1 in opposition to the Dodgers.

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There appears to be a development in these postseason rivalry matchups. Albeit in a small pattern measurement, the winner has gone on to the World Sequence every time. Together with the 1978 elimination sport, the winner of the sequence is 4-1 within the World Sequence. Will the winner on Tuesday attain the Fall Basic? They’ve the longest street forward, needing to get by means of the Rays within the ALDS and the winner of the White Sox vs. Astros matchup. 

But when there’s one factor to count on between these two groups, it is that this sport ought to ship followers an thrilling matchup to kick off the 2021 MLB postseason.