The New York Yankees hope that their bullpen will step up during their upcoming Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, and one of the group’s most intense members is already well-acquainted with the history between the two historic franchises.
Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz grew up as a diehard fan of the Bronx Bombers and is particularly excited to leave his mark on one of baseball’s most contentious rivalries.
“I've been watching this rivalry for a long time now, since the A-Rod/Varitek situation,” Cruz told Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.”I think that's when it really started for me… Now, being part of it, it's just an amazing feeling.”
The scuffle between former Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek occurred during the height of the two teams’ notoriety in the summer of 2004.
One season prior, former third baseman and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent Boston home with a walkoff home run in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Just months after the scuffle between Varitek and Rodriguez, the Red Sox battled back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS and went on to win the 2004 World Series, their first since 1918.
Cruz has been one of New York’s most pleasant surprises this season. The 35-year-old righty has posted a 3.56 ERA across 48 innings. He has not surrendered a run over his last seven appearances, and could be a difference maker against the Red Sox.
“It's an outrageous thing for me” to be pitching for the Yanks in the playoffs, Cruz said. “It's something that I dreamed of. Everybody that knows me knows how important it is for me.”
