The video breaks down the infamous 2004 brawl between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez at Fenway Park. It starts with Bronson Arroyo hitting A-Rod with a pitch, prompting A-Rod to start barking about the pitch being inside. Varitek comes out to defend his pitcher and things escalate quickly. After a few words, Rodriguez invites Varitek to bring it, and Varitek obliges—without removing any gear. He reaches low, grabs A-Rod, and lifts him into a clinch. The two never go down, just stay locked up while chaos breaks out behind them.
Tanyon Sturtze, the Yankees’ starter that day, charges in and grabs Gabe Kapler by the throat, possibly just grabbing whoever was in reach. David Ortiz and Trot Nixon jump in, making it a three-on-one against Sturtze, who ends up bleeding from the ear after Kapler sneaks in a punch. Despite being the one who escalated the melee, Sturtze stayed in the game. Varitek and A-Rod were both ejected and sent home. Kapler and the Red Sox bench were furious about the disparity in punishment.
Brian Cashman looked tense, while Red Sox GM Theo Epstein smiled through the chaos. Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly walked A-Rod off the field, and someone even says to him, “You’ll never be a true Yankee.” The fight didn’t do much for stat lines that day, but it added to the rivalry’s history.