The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees has the opportunity to reach old-school levels of vitriol in 2025.

There have been some memorable rivalry moments in the last few seasons, but for the most part, it’s been fairly tame. Things can only be so hostile when the Red Sox aren’t in the playoff picture, so you’d have to go back to 2021, when Boston beat New York in the Wild Card game, to remember real stakes.

Both teams seem like playoff contenders in 2025, though, so there should be some heated matchups between the two clubs this summer. And one Yankees rising star recently revealed a Fenway Park memory that should add some fuel to the fire.

Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice, a Cohasset, Mass. native who grew up a Yankees fan despite the rest of his family rooting for the Red Sox, recounted a story of a childhood trip to Fenway during which he “defaced” the infamous Pesky Pole with Yankees propaganda.

“We did a little tour of Fenway Park, and when we went over to the Pesky Pole, I wrote ‘Yankees Rule’ on the Pesky Pole,” Rice told MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. “So probably one of the very few, if any, pro-Yankees writing on there.”

Rice hit three home runs in a single game against the Red Sox last July, so he’s already introduced himself as a thorn in Sox fans’ sides. But now that they know his childhood scrawl is somewhere out there on that giant hunk of yellow metal, they’re sure to dislike him even more.

But Rice, to hear him tell it, has always been used to drawing the ire of Red Sox fans.

“I mean, you definitely stick out a little bit when you’re wearing your Yankees gear around, maybe on my first-grade picture day, like when I wore a Yankees jersey,” he said, per Castrovince. “But yeah, it was just because I liked the team that won the most, and I liked Derek Jeter.”

The 26-year-old lefty slugger is also one of the most unexpected stars of the baseball season so far, posting a 1.005 OPS and 44 total bases in his first 22 appearances of the year. He could torment Red Sox fans in more ways than one if he keeps up that torrid pace.

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