New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox: The Greatest Rivalry in Baseball
The most storied rivalry in Major League Baseball — 27 World Series titles vs 9, 120+ years of history, and the Curse of the Bambino. The Yankees dominate nearly every all-time category (10,872 wins, 41 AL Pennants, 22 retired jerseys), but the Red Sox broke the 86-year curse with their historic 2004 ALCS comeback and won the rivalry's most recent title (2018).
Franchise Comparison
| Category | New York Yankees ⭐ | Boston Red Sox |
|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Championships & Pennants | ||
| World Series Titles | 27 (MLB record) ⭐ | 9 |
| AL Pennants | 41 (MLB record) ⭐ | 14 |
| AL East Division Titles | 21 ⭐ | 10 |
| Wild Card Berths | 10 ⭐ | 9 |
| Last World Series Title | 2009 | 2018 ⭐ |
| 📊 Franchise Records | ||
| All-Time Wins | 10,872 ⭐ | 10,044 |
| All-Time Win Percentage | .569 ⭐ | .518 |
| Retired Jersey Numbers | 22 ⭐ | 11 |
| Hall of Famers (Players) | 52 players + 11 managers ⭐ | 24 players + 5 managers |
| MVP Awards | 23+ ⭐ | 12 |
| Cy Young Awards | 6 | 7 ⭐ |
| Rookie of the Year | 10 ⭐ | 6 |
| ⚔️ Head-to-Head | ||
| Total Meetings | 2,336 (since 1903) | |
| All-Time Series | 1,267–1,055 (.545) ⭐ | 1,055–1,267 |
| Regular Season | 1,254–1,041–14 ⭐ | 1,041–1,254–14 |
| Postseason | 14–13 (.519) ⭐ | 13–14 |
| Longest Win Streak | 12 (3 times) | 17 ⭐ |
| Largest Win | 22–1 (Jun 19, 2000) | 17–1 / 19–3 |
| 🌟 Stars & Awards | ||
| Franchise Icons | Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Whitey Ford | Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, David Ortiz, Pedro Martínez, Roger Clemens, Carlton Fisk |
| Current Superstar | Aaron Judge ⭐ | Rafael Devers |
| Managerial Greats | Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Joe Torre (21 combined titles) ⭐ | Terry Francona (2 titles), Alex Cora (1 title) |
| 💰 Financials | ||
| Team Value (Forbes 2025) | ~$8.2B ⭐ | ~$4.5B |
| Revenue | ~$700M ⭐ | ~$500M |
| Payroll | ~$310M (largest in MLB) ⭐ | ~$185M |
| Annual Attendance | ~3.1M ⭐ | ~2.7M |
| 📅 History & Stadium | ||
| Founded | 1903 | 1901 (older) ⭐ |
| Stadium | Yankee Stadium (II) — since 2009 | Fenway Park — since 1912 (oldest in MLB) ⭐ |
| Stadium Capacity | ~46,537 ⭐ | ~37,755 |
| 🔥 Rivalry's Defining Moments | ||
| The Curse of the Bambino | Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to Yankees in 1919. Boston didn't win another World Series for 86 years (1918–2004). | |
| Bucky Dent's HR (1978) | One-game playoff at Fenway — Yankees won 5–4 on Dent's 3-run homer. "The Bucky Dent Game." | |
| Aaron Boone's HR (2003) | ALCS Game 7 — Boone's walk-off HR off Tim Wakefield in 11th inning. Yankees advance to World Series. | |
| 2004 ALCS | Greatest comeback in MLB history — Red Sox down 3–0, win 4 straight, break "The Curse," and sweep the World Series. | |
| 2018 ALDS | Red Sox sweep Yankees en route to World Series title — their 4th championship in 15 years. | |
Note: The ⭐ indicates the leader per category. Yankees dominate in World Series (27 vs 9), all-time wins, Hall of Famers, and franchise value ($8.2B vs $4.5B). Red Sox have won more recently (2018 vs 2009) and hold the historic 2004 ALCS comeback as the defining moment of the modern rivalry.