Boston Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins hates the New York Yankees. A lot.
But he’s welcoming the criticism from Yankees fans for saying he’d rather retire than wear pinstripes. The quote got plenty of run this weekend as the two bitter rivals played for the first time in 2025 — particularly on Sunday when Dobbins took the mound.
“I mean, you can’t really say something like that and not expect a passionate fan base like the Yankees to say something,” Dobbins said, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “If anything, it made the rivalry atmosphere feel a lot more fun. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Yankees captain Aaron Judge addressed Dobbins’ comments, saying, “I’ve only heard Ken Griffey Jr. say that, so I was a little surprised.”
For those too young to remember, Griffey famously did not get along with then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Dobbins, for his part, grew up the son of a Red Sox fan, so hating the Yankees is simply in his blood.
Hunter Dobbins and the Red Sox escape New York with series win
The Yankees got to Dobbins to the tune of two home runs on Sunday, but the Red Sox had the last laugh, winning 11-7 to take two out of three in the Bronx. They scored 21 total runs in the final two games, both Red Sox wins.
“They had their hitting shoes on,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “They beat us here this weekend.”
Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez, the former Yankee who hit a crucial three-run home run in the series finale, called the series win “huge” as the Red Sox look to fight their way back to .500.
“Everybody sees what we’ve been through the last couple of weeks, battling, going through tough moments,” he said, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “This series was huge for us. Every time we play against the Yankees, it’s something special.”
Now at 32-35, the Red Sox are still four games out of the Wild Card and 8.5 behind the Yankees in the American League East. But now they have momentum — and a chance to beat the Yankees again next weekend at Fenway Park.
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