Are bucket list items al\u00adways pleasant things?<\/p>\n
On my short list was at\u00adtending a baseball game at Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n
Not exactly \u201cfun\u201d when you first think about it, but it was something I al\u00adways wanted to do none\u00adtheless.<\/p>\n
Why not fun?<\/p>\n
Because some obvious scenarios come to mind.<\/p>\n
If I had a Red Sox hat on, would I get roughed up?<\/p>\n
Would I get a drink thrown on me?<\/p>\n
Would I just be subjected to general verbal abuse in one of those think New York accents?<\/p>\n
Note to self: leave Red Sox gear at home.<\/p>\n
Last Saturday, I decided to finally check that box.<\/p>\n
I planned to go to a doubleheader at the Bronx, Yankees vs. Red Sox.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
As the great Ernie Banks used to say \u201cLets play two!\u201d<\/p>\n
An Amtrack train to New York is only a four-hour trip and since I decided to also take in a ballpark tour be\u00adfore the festivities, my day was to begin around 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Friday night, the Yan\u00adkees beat the Sox 1-0 so Saturday\u2019s first game pro\u00admised to be a good one.<\/p>\n
Rookie Jake Bennett was pitching for the Red Sox against Carols Rodon.<\/p>\n
The night pitching match\u00adup wasn\u2019t as promising ear\u00adly in the day. It was Max Fried for the Yanks and the vaunted TBD for Boston.<\/p>\n
It had all of the makings of the all-new \u201cbullpen game\u201d for the Red Sox.<\/p>\n
The Tour:<\/p>\n
As I walked into the tour, I was greeted by the tour guide Paul.<\/p>\n
He was a very friendly, super-funny young man.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you a Red Sox fan?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question was a punch to the gut.<\/p>\n
I had no Red Sox garb on at all out of utter fear, but possibly because I was NOT wearing Yankees gear, Paul\u2019s suspicions were up.<\/p>\n
I froze for a second, contemplated lying and then came clean.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul: \u201cHey everyone, we got a Red Sox fan here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sigh\u2026<\/p>\n
As much as I hate to ad\u00admit it, the tour of the stadium was excellent and, thankfully, a few more Red Sox fans wandered in.<\/p>\n
A few tidbits\u2026<\/p>\n
* 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 finish\u00aded, word of the deed got out. The Yankees actually de\u00adlayed 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.<\/p>\n
* 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, in\u00adstead, they chose pocket watches.<\/p>\n
* 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 sta\u00addium with actual game worn gear. Paul told us that Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge both requested lockers right next to Munson\u2019s locker.<\/p>\n
* That symbol on Yankee hats and shirts that usually triggers a dry heave from me isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
* 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 Wil\u00adliams, yes that Bernie Wil\u00adliams, was actually visiting Monu\u00adment Park when our tour stopped there.<\/p>\n
That was cool.<\/p>\n
I did give him a dirty look, but that was also while taking a picture of him, frantically waving and yelling \u201cHey Bernie\u201d so I don\u2019t think it really had the desired effect.<\/p>\n
Monument Park is right where most stadiums sell bleacher seats so it really does stand out.<\/p>\n
They said Jorge Posada hit the first-ever home run at the new Yankee Sta\u00addium back in 2009 and it landed in Monument Park so the organization didn\u2019t have to haggle with any fans for the ball. That ball is now safely sitting inside a case at the park.<\/p>\n
Also at Monument Park I noticed that Yogi Berra actually has a real first name, it\u2019s Lawrence Peter Berra, and Derek Jeter\u2019s middle name is Sander\u00adson. So any Yankee fan that says Jeter\u2019s full name first must say the name of former Bruin great Derek San\u00adderson.<\/p>\n
* The Yankees really do hate the Red Sox.<\/p>\n
The tour guide took a cheap shot at the Sox at every opportunity.<\/p>\n
Of course he mentioned Babe Ruth as the \u201conly smart thing the Red Sox ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n
* It\u2019s good to know that we can all be Dodgers fans for 2026.<\/p>\n
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 Ser\u00adies this season.<\/p>\n
So\u2026 GO DODGERS!<\/p>\n
The Game:<\/p>\n
Wilyer Abreu hit a home run right off the bat.<\/p>\n
Bennett pitched like Cy Young.<\/p>\n
Rodon fell apart a couple of strong innings and Yan\u00adkees fans were quiet as the Red Sox won by a score of 6-0.<\/p>\n
I never thought I\u2019d be able to type \u201cYankees fans were quiet\u201d ever.<\/p>\n
While I was anticipating constant venom from the Yankee faithful, the stadium was silent for most of the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Yankee fans initially tried to be trolls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d was yelled constantly whenever new, youn\u00adger Red Sox were announ\u00adced.<\/p>\n
But slowly, the New Yor\u00adkers started to turn on their own team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you swinging at?\u201d when a Yankee struck out.<\/p>\n
Then, the glorious ninth inning arrived.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But the top of that ninth inning was just wonderful and it might be the best 20 minutes of my sports viewing career.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n
With reliever Ryan Yar\u00adbrough in for New York, Caleb Durbin walked and Adley Rutschman hit a sin\u00adgle. Andruw Monaste\u00adrio then hit a two-run single to make it 4-0.<\/p>\n
The silence was deafening.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox fans in at\u00adtendance started to get loud.<\/p>\n
The Yankee fans in at\u00adtendance started to gather their belongings.<\/p>\n
I, of course, just stayed quiet although I did quietly high-five a fellow Sox fan and whispered \u201cGo Sox.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick Sogard was up next and he hit a double to left that scored two more.<\/p>\n
The Yankee fans officially started heading for the exits.<\/p>\n
A wild pitch would move Sogard to third and then he scored when Ceddanne Ra\u00adfaela\u2019s single landed in be\u00adtween several Yankee de\u00adfenders to make it 6-0. It re\u00adsembled a little league pop up when the ball lands in the middle of a bunch of players.<\/p>\n
It was the cherry on top of the whipped cream.<\/p>\n
For a nervous Red Sox fan, watching the Yankees fans file out in disgust was a beautiful thing to behold.<\/p>\n
And, again, they were quiet.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The aftermath:<\/p>\n
Game 1 was complete and there was about three hours before Game 2 and the pitching matchup be\u00adtween Fried and TBD.<\/p>\n
After loving every second of Game 1, I started to wonder how an experience at Yankee Stadium could get any better.<\/p>\n
Would TBD pitch a gem?<\/p>\n
Would the Yankees im\u00adplode again like they did in the afternoon?<\/p>\n
The answer to both of those questions seemed like an obvious no.<\/p>\n
Would it worth seeing all of the smug, arrogant Yan\u00adkee fans get a chance to taunt the Red Sox faithful?<\/p>\n
Another obvious answer.<\/p>\n
In 2026, tickets can be re\u00adsold in seconds.<\/p>\n
The quick executive de\u00adcision was made to sell Game 2 and instead Goo\u00adgle the term, \u201cHarbor Cruise\u201d.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d much rather get a look at Lady Liberty than Paul Goldschmidt.<\/p>\n
The game tickets sold fast.<\/p>\n
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 (\u201cwho?\u201d) and then Brayan Bello.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Of course he did.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Did I chicken out of Game 2?<\/p>\n
Absolutely.<\/p>\n
But both Lady Liberty and I were quite pleased on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure the Yankees fans had a blast feasting on Red Sox fans that night.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m just glad I wasn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n