There are signs the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry could heat up again

TAMPA, Fla. – Will “The Rivalry” between the Yankees and Red Sox ever get back to what it used to be, when players such as Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez would throw punches, and Pedro Martinez once threw Don Zimmer to the ground?

It’s hard to imagine when you hear Boston manager Alex Cora throw bouquets instead of fists at Yankees counterpart Aaron Boone.

“That guy over there, man, I know he gets a lot of [expletive] from people,” Cora said on Tuesday before the Yankees and Red Sox played to a 4-4 tie at a sold-out Steinbrenner Field. “He's one of the best in the business.”

There are some signs that a return to a slightly more heated rivalry – lowercase ‘r’ – could be on the horizon after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, an old Yankees nemesis from his Astros days, and former Dodgers World Series hero Walker Buehler.

Buehler, who allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings on Tuesday, finished out the Dodgers’ clinching Game 5 victory at Yankee Stadium last Oct. 30.

At least the Yankees made it to the World Series. The Red Sox haven’t been to the postseason since 2021. Boston hopes its additions, which also include top lefthanded starter Garrett Crochet, will bridge the gap in the rough-and-tumble AL East.

“[Bregman] and Walker, all they know is playing in October, right?” Cora said. “We haven't been there since ’21. Hopefully we can continue their streaks, making it to the playoffs, and play deep into the playoffs. We feel good about what we have going right now. I would love to tell you right now, we're going to win the World Series, it’s World Series or bust. I'm not going to do that. It's kind of like, ‘Let’s work towards playing meaningful games in September.’ ”

The rivals did compete this offseason for free agent lefthander Max Fried, who ended up with the Yankees for eight years and $218 million. Cora said he was impressed after meeting with Fried, who started on Tuesday and threw 4 1/3 shutout innings (two hits, no walks, three strikeouts).

“He knows what he's doing,” Cora said. “He comes from an organization [Atlanta] that that's what they do, right? They pitch. It was good to talk to him and understand what drives him and how he operates. He knew what he was talking about because he mentioned our defense. It's a guy that they're going to put the ball in play, so you have to play defense behind him. We actually told him we're going to be better defensively. [Signing him] just didn't happen. But he’s a good kid that got rewarded. He's been on the big stage. He's been successful. So they got a good one.”

Fried said he considered the Red Sox because “I was open to meeting and hearing from any team that was interested.”

Fried signed with the Yankees to be their No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. Now that Cole is lost for the season after Tommy John surgery, Fried is the ace (even if Carlos Rodon will start Opening Day).

On Tuesday, Fried pitched like an ace. He has one more outing before making his Yankees debut against Milwaukee on March 29 at Yankee Stadium.

The 9,804 fans on hand on Tuesday – which included a sizable contingent of Boston backers – were into the game because of The Rivalry, even though the Red Sox brought just a thimble full of regulars from Fort Myers.

Fried was just trying to get in his work and wasn’t thinking this was true Yankees-Red Sox.

“Yeah, no,” he said. “It’s early. This is more about me getting ready and trying to do what I need to do to get ready for the year. The results were good, but that wasn’t what I was out for.”

Fried did get a thrill when he was removed from the game by former Yankees manager Joe Torre, a special guest in camp.

“Really cool experience,” Fried said. “He’s obviously one of the legends of the game.”

Notes & quotes: Clarke Schmidt (shoulder fatigue) will throw a live batting practice on Thursday instead of pitching in a game, Boone said. It’s looking more likely that Schmidt will stay behind in spring training to get his pitch count built up rather than start the sixth game of the season . . . Paul Goldschmidt (back) should be ready to return to the lineup Thursday or Friday, Boone said.

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.