The iconic Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry has been largely dormant over the past half-decade. But Hunter Dobbins did his best to revive it over the weekend.
In an interview with the Boston Herald before his start in New York on Sunday night, the rookie right-hander declared he'd rather retire than put on pinstripes.
"My dad was a diehard Red Sox fan,” Dobbins told the Herald's Gabrielle Starr. "And I’ve said it before, that if the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire."
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SIGN UP HERE Dobbins' comments raised more than a few eyebrows in New York's clubhouse.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said he was "a little surprised" by Dobbins' remarks and admitted they were on his mind during his first at-bat against the 25-year-old right-hander Sunday night. New York infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was a bit more direct.
"I love competitiveness, but to say that, being a rookie, is kind of crazy to me, to say that you're going to rule out one out of 30 teams to be a professional athlete," Chisholm told ESPN's broadcast during a mid-game interview.
When Judge took Dobbins deep for a two-run homer in the second inning, it appeared the rookie's comments may have caught up with him. But Dobbins settled in nicely, allowing just one more run on four total hits before exiting after five innings. Boston's bats did the rest, exploding for 11 runs on 12 hits to secure an 11-7 victory and a 2-1 series win over its AL East rival in the Bronx.
Dobbins heard plenty of jeers from the Yankee Stadium faithful after his comments but appeared to embrace the atmosphere.
"I mean, you can't really say something like that and not expect a passionate fan base like the Yankees to say something," Dobbins told reporters, via MLB.com. "If anything, it made the rivalry atmosphere feel a lot more fun. I enjoyed it a lot."
The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry still isn't what it used to be -- not with Boston mired in a three-year postseason drought and sputtering along with a 32-35 record this season (8.5 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees).
But there was a bit of a buzz in the Bronx this weekend, thanks to three back-and-forth, high-scoring games and Dobbins' pot-stirring comments.
"It adds a lot of spiciness," Chisholm said after the game. "You enjoy it. You are more locked in as a fan because you know what’s going on. I think it’s fun, at least."
The Red Sox could use some of that "spiciness" going forward as they aim to climb back into the playoff race -- and they'll have another golden opportunity next weekend when the Yankees come to Fenway Park for a three-game series.
