How the Varitek/A-Rod brawl sparked the Sox

Before the Red Sox and Yankees squared off on July 24, 2004 at Fenway Park, the rivalry had reached its boiling point. Maybe it was because of Aaron Boone’s Game 7 walk-off homer the previous October. Maybe it was because Alex Rodriguez decided to sign with the Yankees instead of the Red Sox. Or maybe it was because the Red Sox felt like they finally had the pieces to beat the Evil Empire.

Whatever it was, things boiled over when Rodriguez stepped to the plate in the top of the third inning with the Yankees leading 3-0. With the count at 1-1, Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo hit Rodriguez with a curveball. Rodriguez yelled at Arroyo. Arroyo yelled back. And Boston catcher/captain Jason Vartiek got between them.

But instead of going to first base, Rodriguez took a swing at Varitek. They  brawled, the benches cleared, and chaos ensued. It was hardly the first time the bitter rivals had fought, but this was more than that. When the dust settled, and several players had been ejected, the teams returned to their dugouts and the game continued.

Boston rallied from down 3-0 (a hint of things to come) and took a 4-3 lead. The Yankees responded with 5 runs of their own to go up 9-4. The pendulum swung back in Boston’s favor when they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap to 9-8. 

Then came the bottom of the ninth. With the Yankees leading 10-8, it was Mariano Rivera time. And back then, with Rivera at the peak of his powers, facing him usually meant game over. But the winds of change were blowing that night at Fenway. 

Nomar Garciaparra doubled to lead off the inning. Kevin Millar (AKA Mr. Don’t let us win today) singled to drive him in, cutting the Yankees lead to 1 run. Then Bill Mueller, in a heroic moment that was a hint of things to come, cranked Rivera’s pitch into the right field bullpen…sending Fenway Park into delirium.

As big as the win was, what came after was even bigger. The Red Sox caught fire and finished the season an American League-best 46-20, nearly caught the Yankees for the division title, and locked up the Wild Card. They dispatched the Angels in the ALDS before facing the Yankees in the ALCS for the second year in a row. 

And the rest, as they say, is history.