The pomp and circumstance of the night paired with the come-from-behind nature of the win gave Sox fans plenty to enjoy, but such early drama has meant little in the long run when it comes to the two teams, who play 17 more times this season.
"There are still 161 games left," said Kevin Youkilis after finishing with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs in the 9-7 victory.
A veteran of the rivalry, Youkilis knows to reserve judgment. He’s seen what can happen after that initial high.
Last year, the Red Sox memorably won their first eight games against the Yankees, but the two sides ended up tying the season series 9-9. And that turnaround is just the most recent example.
Since 2002, when the new Red Sox ownership group came in and 90-win seasons became the norm at Fenway, Boston is 25-8 against New York in the month of April, an impressive .758 winning percentage. The Sox are also a solid 14-12 in May meetings in that time.
Once the calendar turns to June, however, the season series takes on a decidedly pinstriped decor.
In the last eight-plus years, the Bronx Bombers have gone 54-32 against Boston from June 1 on. Included in that run of dominance is a 42-22 mark after the All-Star break and a 19-4 record against the Red Sox in August.
Minutes after Sunday night's loss, New York manager Joe Girardi was already looking ahead.
"Yeah, it’s frustrating, but Tuesday’s a new day," he said.
So, too, was Dustin Pedroia, whose two-run homer in the seventh tied it at seven.
"That’s a great team, that’s a world championship-caliber club," Pedroia said. "We were a few runs better than them tonight, but it won't be like that all the time."
On Tuesday, Girardi will have A.J. Burnett going against Red Sox southpaw Jon Lester. Even their 2009 results signaled a seasonal shift between the two teams.
Burnett gave up 13 runs — 11 earned — in 7 2/3 innings of two early starts against Boston. In his lone second-half outing against the Red Sox, he yielded one hit in 7 2/3 scoreless innings.
Lester, meanwhile, allowed just five runs and struck out 17 in 13 frames against the Yanks in the first month of the season. He did manage another solid outing in the Bronx in August but had his shortest start of the season in Yankee Stadium on Sept. 25, getting pounded for five runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
None of this is meant to make anyone feel worse about the dramatic win Sunday night. Just keep it in perspective, and know that whatever happens from here to September often has no bearing on October. That month is a different beast altogether, one the Sox have tamed rather well.
