Are bucket list items always pleasant things?
On my short list was attending a baseball game at Yankee Stadium.
Not exactly “fun” when you first think about it, but it was something I always wanted to do nonetheless.
Why not fun?
Because some obvious scenarios come to mind.
If I had a Red Sox hat on, would I get roughed up?
Would I get a drink thrown on me?
Would I just be subjected to general verbal abuse in one of those think New York accents?
Note to self: leave Red Sox gear at home.
Last Saturday, I decided to finally check that box.
I planned to go to a doubleheader at the Bronx, Yankees vs. Red Sox.
Earlier in the season, this was just supposed to be a night game, but a postponement earlier in the year had the teams decide to play a doubleheader with one game at 1 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m.
As the great Ernie Banks used to say “Lets play two!”
An Amtrack train to New York is only a four-hour trip and since I decided to also take in a ballpark tour before the festivities, my day was to begin around 10 a.m.
Friday night, the Yankees beat the Sox 1-0 so Saturday’s first game promised to be a good one.
Rookie Jake Bennett was pitching for the Red Sox against Carols Rodon.
The night pitching matchup wasn’t as promising early in the day. It was Max Fried for the Yanks and the vaunted TBD for Boston.
It had all of the makings of the all-new “bullpen game” for the Red Sox.
The Tour:
As I walked into the tour, I was greeted by the tour guide Paul.
He was a very friendly, super-funny young man.
“Are you a Red Sox fan?”
The question was a punch to the gut.
I had no Red Sox garb on at all out of utter fear, but possibly because I was NOT wearing Yankees gear, Paul’s suspicions were up.
I froze for a second, contemplated lying and then came clean.
“Yes I am.”
Paul: “Hey everyone, we got a Red Sox fan here.”
Sigh…
As much as I hate to admit it, the tour of the stadium was excellent and, thankfully, a few more Red Sox fans wandered in.
A few tidbits…
* Did you know a worker at Yankee Stadium that helped build the stadium buried a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete? When construction had finally finished, word of the deed got out. The Yankees actually delayed the opening of the stadium, had the worker show them where the jersey was in the ground and dug it up. Word is that there is a little shrine in the bowels of the stadium showing just where that jersey was buried.
* The Yankees have 27 World Series titles but only 26 sets of championships rings. Back in 1923, ownership let the players decide if they wanted rings and, instead, they chose pocket watches.
* Thurman Munson, the catcher that was killed in a plane crash back in 1979 at age 32, has his actual locker memorialized in the new stadium with actual game worn gear. Paul told us that Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge both requested lockers right next to Munson’s locker.
* That symbol on Yankee hats and shirts that usually triggers a dry heave from me isn’t so bad anymore. It was initially a symbol that was developed in honor of a fallen NYC firefighter that the Yankees thought was cool and decided to use. I still hate it, but not as much.
* In straightaway center field, Yankee Stadium has a place called Monument Park, that has a beautiful shrine to all of its Hall of Fame members. Bernie Williams, yes that Bernie Williams, was actually visiting Monument Park when our tour stopped there.
That was cool.
I did give him a dirty look, but that was also while taking a picture of him, frantically waving and yelling “Hey Bernie” so I don’t think it really had the desired effect.
Monument Park is right where most stadiums sell bleacher seats so it really does stand out.
They said Jorge Posada hit the first-ever home run at the new Yankee Stadium back in 2009 and it landed in Monument Park so the organization didn’t have to haggle with any fans for the ball. That ball is now safely sitting inside a case at the park.
Also at Monument Park I noticed that Yogi Berra actually has a real first name, it’s Lawrence Peter Berra, and Derek Jeter’s middle name is Sanderson. So any Yankee fan that says Jeter’s full name first must say the name of former Bruin great Derek Sanderson.
* The Yankees really do hate the Red Sox.
The tour guide took a cheap shot at the Sox at every opportunity.
Of course he mentioned Babe Ruth as the “only smart thing the Red Sox ever did.”
* It’s good to know that we can all be Dodgers fans for 2026.
Paul the Tour Guide proudly boasted that the Yankees are the only team to ever win three straight World Series and that all of the Bronx is cheering for the Dodgers to not win a third straight World Series this season.
So… GO DODGERS!
The Game:
Wilyer Abreu hit a home run right off the bat.
Bennett pitched like Cy Young.
Rodon fell apart a couple of strong innings and Yankees fans were quiet as the Red Sox won by a score of 6-0.
I never thought I’d be able to type “Yankees fans were quiet” ever.
While I was anticipating constant venom from the Yankee faithful, the stadium was silent for most of the afternoon.
Yankee fans initially tried to be trolls.
“Who?” was yelled constantly whenever new, younger Red Sox were announced.
But slowly, the New Yorkers started to turn on their own team.
“What are you swinging at?” when a Yankee struck out.
Then, the glorious ninth inning arrived.
Boston led 2-0 after eight innings and there was still a worry that maybe the Yankees would get to Sox closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth.
But the top of that ninth inning was just wonderful and it might be the best 20 minutes of my sports viewing career.
Here’s what happened.
With reliever Ryan Yarbrough in for New York, Caleb Durbin walked and Adley Rutschman hit a single. Andruw Monasterio then hit a two-run single to make it 4-0.
The silence was deafening.
The Red Sox fans in attendance started to get loud.
The Yankee fans in attendance started to gather their belongings.
I, of course, just stayed quiet although I did quietly high-five a fellow Sox fan and whispered “Go Sox.”
Nick Sogard was up next and he hit a double to left that scored two more.
The Yankee fans officially started heading for the exits.
A wild pitch would move Sogard to third and then he scored when Ceddanne Rafaela’s single landed in between several Yankee defenders to make it 6-0. It resembled a little league pop up when the ball lands in the middle of a bunch of players.
It was the cherry on top of the whipped cream.
For a nervous Red Sox fan, watching the Yankees fans file out in disgust was a beautiful thing to behold.
And, again, they were quiet.
For the record, Yankee Stadium might be nicer than Fenway Park, but the Sox do a lot of stuff better, especially with the Jumbo Tron in center field.
The aftermath:
Game 1 was complete and there was about three hours before Game 2 and the pitching matchup between Fried and TBD.
After loving every second of Game 1, I started to wonder how an experience at Yankee Stadium could get any better.
Would TBD pitch a gem?
Would the Yankees implode again like they did in the afternoon?
The answer to both of those questions seemed like an obvious no.
Would it worth seeing all of the smug, arrogant Yankee fans get a chance to taunt the Red Sox faithful?
Another obvious answer.
In 2026, tickets can be resold in seconds.
The quick executive decision was made to sell Game 2 and instead Google the term, “Harbor Cruise”.
I’d much rather get a look at Lady Liberty than Paul Goldschmidt.
The game tickets sold fast.
The Yankees won 9-2 on Saturday night and it was, in fact, a bullpen game as the Evil Empire beat up on Alex Gomboa (“who?”) and then Brayan Bello.
Then, New York won 16-1 on Sunday afternoon and a Yankee player stole both second and third base with the score way out of hand.
Of course he did.
The four-game series saw three Yankees wins by a combined total of 26-3, but there was also one really fun Red Sox victory.
Did I chicken out of Game 2?
Absolutely.
But both Lady Liberty and I were quite pleased on Saturday night.
I’m sure the Yankees fans had a blast feasting on Red Sox fans that night.
I’m just glad I wasn’t one of them.
Doug Hastings in the sports editor of the Tewksbury and Wilmington Town Crier. He can be reached at dougahastings@gmail.com.