The Yankees and Red Sox will add another chapter to their storied rivalry beginning Tuesday.

The Bombers welcomed the Sox to Yankee Stadium for the American League Wild Card series in yet another battle between the two historic franchises. However, things may not be as they once were.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted the rivalry may have lost a little luster throughout the past several regular seasons.

“I think it is intense in October [but] during the regular season, there’s others that are more intense. The one in the West Coast is stupid, you know, the Padres and the Dodgers. That’s intense from the get-go.

“It’s not that intense during the regular season, but it has toned down throughout the years. We played in [the postseason] ’18, it was intense. ’21, that one is crazy. I bet this one will be the same way.”

There are several factors that play into the watered-down rivalry and perhaps the biggest is the recent irrelevancy of the Red Sox. This is the first time Boston finds itself back in the postseason since 2021 — when they defeated the Yankees in the then single-elimination Wild Card game en route to an ALCS appearance.

Now Cora’s squad is back in October, but with a much different look. These aren’t Mookie Betts or even Rafael Devers’ Red Sox. Those guys were both traded to the West Coast. There are plenty of names in Boston’s lineup that have yet to make their mark on the rivalry, with the exception of Alex Bregman from his years with the Astros.

The lack of continuity in the Red Sox roster throughout the years certainly plays a factor in the lack of genuine hatred that the baseball world is accustomed to seeing between the two sides. However, Cora is still the man in charge, and that should be enough for the Yankees to get spooked.

For as long as the 49-year-old has led the Red Sox, the Bombers have been sent home packing in all three of their postseason matchups. And this team on the rise that’s filled with young talent — went 9-4 against the Bombers in 2025 — has Cora’s handprints all over it.

“As I said yesterday, they always do a good job of the game within the game,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “You got to make sure you are buttoned up. They are going to exploit and find every little small advantage they can. I think [Cora] is also a tremendous leader and they kind of take on his personality, and I think they play hard for him and play a lot for them. That’s a tribute of who he is and how he runs things. But, you know, you got to make sure you are buttoned up when you go up against them, and that’s in large part due to his leadership. …

“I think there’s an intensity they play the game with, an edge, an intelligence that they play the game with. Like Alex has a good way about him as far as just having a really good energy and control of things. I think his players follow that.”

While the faces may be different and the energy of the rivalry isn’t exactly reminiscent of the early 2000’s, the 2025 Red Sox have all of the makings to start off this new chapter of the rivalry with a bang.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/30/alex-cora-red-sox-yankees-rivalry-wild-card/