Great Moments in New York-Boston Sports History

The rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox is legendary, but the New York-Boston rivalry transcends all sports. For a century, the two cities have been vying for athletic supremacy, with New York usually (but not always) having the upper hand. Super Bowl XLII aims to renew that rivalry, so in honor of the Giants and Patriots squaring off, I present the eight most memorable games/series between Beantown and the Big Apple in sports history.

8. Bruins win 1929 Stanley Cup Finals

Not long after the Yankees established their identity as a dynasty, the Boston Bruins of the NHL still dominated hockey. The New York Rangers had to beat their own crosstown rivals, the New York Americans, to survive the first round of the playoffs, followed by a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to advance to the finals, but the Bruins were too tough. In the best of 3 series, Boston goalie Cecil "Tiny" Thompson allowed the Rangers only a single goal as Boston won consecutive games to take home the cup. Boston didn't lose a single game in the playoffs.

7. Aaron Boone hits a walkoff homer in the 2003 ALCS

The Red Sox looked to be headed to the World Series as they led by three runs late in Game 7, but the Yankees had an eighth inning rally in them, putting up a dramatic three runs and tying the decisive game. The ninth inning went scoreless, so Game 7 was sent into extra innings. Fans in both cities held their breath as the teams battled scorelessly into the bottom of the 11^th, when the Yankees' Aaron Boone took a Tim Wakefield pitch out of the park, and sent the Yankees to the World Series with one swing.

6. Chesbro's wild pitch loses the pennant

On the last day of the 1904 baseball season, the New York Highlanders (later known as the Yankees) were trailing in the standings by a game and a half to the Boston Pilgrims (later known as the Red Sox), with a doubleheader scheduled. If New York could win both games, they'd win their first ever pennant. But in the first game, New York pitcher Jack Chesbro threw a passed ball that allowed the winning run to score, sealing up the league for Boston. Chesbro would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, but will forever be remembered for one ill-fated pitch.

5. Yankees win 1978 playoff game, backed by Bucky Dent's homer

The Red Sox had dominated the AL most of the season, but as the clock wound down, the Yankees closed the gap of a 14-game lead and forced a one game playoff with the Red Sox with the pennant on the line. The Red Sox had the lead in the game most of the way, but in the 7^th inning, the light-hitting Bucky Dent blasted a three run shot over the Green Monster to give the Yankees the lead for good. Dent will be forever a hero in New York and despised in Boston.

4. Knicks win 1973 NBA Eastern Conference title

The Knicks and Celtics faced off with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, with Boston the heavy favorite, and the Celtics showed why in Game 1 with a 25 point victory. New York won by 33 in Game 2. The Knicks won Game 3 before a double-overtime competition in Game 4. The Knicks won that one, and the Celtics won Game 5 by a single point and then Game 6 to force a Game 7. Ironically, the tight and hard-fought series came down to an injury, as John Havlicek was forced to shoot lefty because of an injured shoulder. The Knicks handled the game easily and moved on to the Finals.

3. Bruins win 1972 Stanley Cup

The Rangers and Bruins faced off in a rematch of the 1929 Finals. This time the series belonged to Bruins superstar Bobby Orr, who had 4 goals and 4 assists in the 6 game series and won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The first 3 games saw sloppy play on both sides, but the last 3 were tough and tight with tremendous goalie performances from the Rangers' Ed Giacomin and the Bruins' Gerry Cheevers. The series was among the roughest in recent Stanley Cup memory, and though the Rangers put up a good show, they just couldn't keep up with the dominant Bruins.

2. Red Sox come back from 3 games down in 2004 ALCS

The Curse of the Bambino seemed to be still intact as the Yankees led the 7 game series 3 games to none, with a ninth inning lead in Game 4 and the game's best closer, Mariano Rivera, coming to the mound. But Kevin Millar walked to begin the inning, and Dave Roberts pinch ran for him and stole second. Bill Mueller singled and brought Roberts home to tie the game, and from that moment, everything changed. The teams remained tied until the bottom of the 12^th, when David Ortiz hit a two-run walkoff homer to keep the Red Sox alive. The Red Sox would go on to win the next three games - two of them at Yankee Stadium - to become the first team in baseball history to win a 7 game series after losing the first 3. The Red Sox would go on to fully break the curse by winning the 2004 World Series.

1. Mets rally in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series

The Red Sox were on the verge of winning the World Series for the first time in almost 70 years. With a 2 run lead and 2 outs in the bottom of the 10^th, they had already started to celebrate. But the Mets, hanging on by tooth and nail, put up three consecutive hits to cut the lead to one. Kevin Mitchell was on third when Bob Stanley threw a wild pitch that brought home the tying run, and the Mets were still alive. Then Mookie Wilson hit a slow grounder down the first base line, and first basemen Bill Buckner, playing with an injured leg, muffed a routine play as the ball dribbled through his legs. Ray Knight would come around to score and give the Mets the win, breaking Boston's heart once again. The Mets would win Game 7 the next day.