Sox Discuss with Will Middlebrooks is a recurring content material collection on NESN.com. Middlebrooks, a former Purple Sox participant and present NESN analyst, provides his perception and opinion on pertinent Purple Sox storylines all through the season. You may learn the newest tales from the collection right here.
Will Middlebrooks, who performed for the Boston Purple Sox from 2012-14, wasn’t instantly concerned within the play.
However what unfolded when celebrity Alex Rodriguez stepped into the batter’s field in opposition to Ryan Dempster at Fenway Park almost a decade in the past nonetheless stands out within the thoughts of Middlebrooks when he thinks about his favourite recollections of when he was part of the fierce Purple Sox-New York Yankees rivalry.
Dempster began the at-bat in opposition to Rodriguez, who was in the course of interesting his 211-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use, by throwing behind the Yankees infielder earlier than drilling Rodriguez with a 3-0 fastball.
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Rodriguez didn’t provide a lot of a response after getting plunked, however the identical can’t be stated about then-Yankees supervisor Joe Girardi. Girardi, who bolted out of the dugout, was incensed that Dempster solely obtained a warning from home-plate umpire Brian O’Nora, and Girardi even threw his hat in a match of rage.
Rodriguez let his bat do his speaking for the remainder of the sport as he responded by going 3-for-4 with a house run and two RBIs.
“I used to be taking part in third base when Dempster drilled A-Rod,” Middlebrooks informed NESN.com because the Purple Sox face the Yankees for the primary time within the 2024 season Friday night time at Fenway. “It didn’t actually clear benches. Guys got here out however they didn’t come on the sphere. However Girardi misplaced his thoughts. We’re all simply standing behind the mound watching him lose his thoughts and A-Rod goes to first. After which he comes up later within the sport and takes Dempster deep to middle. Will get to house plate and does the Massive Papi celebration at house plate.
“We had a group filled with like degenerates who in all probability wouldn’t have ripped him to items. However it was additionally guys like Ryan Dempster who was like, ‘You recognize what, I’m drilling him as a result of I really feel like I’m doing that for baseball.’ That was enjoyable.”
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Middlebrooks was far more concerned in a four-game collection on the highway in opposition to the Yankees three weeks later.
Middlebrooks hit a house run in every of the primary two video games of the collection, together with belting a 435-foot blast off Ivan Nova and taking Andy Pettitte deep the following day.
There was nonetheless another lengthy ball left in Middlebrooks’ bat for the collection and he saved it for when he confronted Mariano Rivera within the finale of the four-game set. Middlebrooks hit a homer off the legendary Yankees nearer within the prime of the ninth to stage the rating — New York walked issues off within the backside half of the inning — and it ended up being the final house run Rivera gave up in his storied profession.
“That’s my declare to fame is being the final man to take Mariano deep,” Middlebrooks stated.
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Middlebrooks solely spent three seasons with Boston, however he cherished his time taking part in in opposition to the Yankees in a Purple Sox uniform. The heated rivalry afforded Middlebrooks the chance to face Yankees greats like Rodriguez and Rivera together with Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia.
And that alone was memorable for Middlebrooks.
“Simply with the ability to see the Yankees legends come via there and compete in opposition to them,” Middlebrooks stated. “Clearly to beat them was even higher. However simply to be on the identical area as a whole lot of these guys was fairly cool.”
