It ended with Darryl Strawberry surrounded in the third base dugout by several Baltimore players, one of whom clocked Straw flush in the jaw. He had to be rescued by Joe Torre, who escorted the bloodied Strawberry back to the Yankees’ clubhouse.

The Red Sox have four titles since 2004 and the Yankees one. By that measure, Boston has been the better franchise. But in 2025 the old rivals exist in vastly different worlds.