Rookie Hunter Dobbins Ready for Yankees Showdown

NEW YORK – Hunter Dobbins, a 25-year-old right-hander for the Boston Red Sox, prepares to join the long-standing rivalry against the New York Yankees. “This is one that I’ve had circled for a long time,” he told the Herald while watching showers soak Yankee Stadium.

This Sunday, Dobbins will take the mound for the first time against the Yankees. Among a group of Red Sox rookies, he is eager to leave his mark in what many call the greatest rivalry in sports. He recalls the excitement of hitting his first career home run on Friday night. The sound of Yankees fans booing him as he rounded the bases felt like “music to your ears,” he said.

Dobbins grew up with a father who was a passionate Red Sox fan. He stated, “And I’ve said it before, that if the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I’d retire.” Reflecting on his childhood, he shared that while he played second base, his favorite player was Dustin Pedroia.

However, Dobbins explained that he wasn’t a diehard fan like his father. He wanted to build a career in baseball without getting too attached to a team, except when it came to the Yankees. “I think out of disdain for the Yankees, I watched anybody but them,” Dobbins said.

When asked who his least-favorite Yankee was, Dobbins jokingly replied, “Can I say all of them but Andy Pettitte?” He noted his father had a close friendship with the former Yankees pitcher, who won five World Series titles.

After a college career at Alabama, Dobbins pitched in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. Interestingly, his father was drafted twice by the Yankees but eventually signed with the Diamondbacks after a trade. “I think whoever I was playing with or whoever I would have been drafted by, I’d still hate the Yankees, so Sunday should be a fun one,” Dobbins said.

As he gears up for the game, he expressed his hopes of achieving a personal best in speed and performance on the mound. “Sunday can’t come fast enough,” he said, radiating excitement about the legendary rivalry.