For the third time since 2001 — technically the start of the 21st century — the Boston Red Sox won the World Series; the Yankees have won only one in that period.
That the Red Sox have won three times as many championships as the Yankees over a decade seems implausible, unless one examines history. Around the time of World War I, the Red Sox won four World Series in seven years, from 1912 to 1918.
That small sample was eventually overwhelmed in a tidal wave of Yankees championships — 26 during the 20th century, including four from 1996 to 2000.
But so far, the 21st century belongs to Boston.
The three-to-one ratio since 2004 is hard for many Yankee supporters to accept, and perhaps many regard it as a usurpation of their birthright. Certainly, George Steinbrenner would not have stood for it, they declare. He would do something. He would scream and fire people and spend a billion dollars if necessary.
But that is not the way the Yankees see it now. The Yankees' front office respects and appreciates what the Red Sox accomplished this year, especially if their championship helped their city heal, even in a small way, from the Boston Marathon bombings in April, as the Red Sox said they had tried to.
"If we weren't going to win it, then I was actually happy they won after everything their city went through," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said. "They definitely earned it and they deserved it, so congratulations to them. They did a great job."
Cashman said that Boston's winning a third World Series since 2004 would not change his approach to the off-season. And he said that Steinbrenner had been just as demanding and insistent on winning the next season's World Series whether the Yankees had just won it, or the Red Sox.
"We are trying to win every year," he said. "Our mandate from our owners and from the fans every year is to win a World Series. So just because Boston won it this year doesn't change anything. It's the same every year. We feel we've got to win it, and that's what we try to do."
The two other most notable periods in which Boston had more success than the Yankees were the early part of the 20th century at the dawn of the World Series era, and the years 1986 through 1990, when the Red Sox made three playoff appearances and the Yankees had none.
Boston never earned a title in those years, but from 1903, when the team won its first World Series, to 1918, when it won its fifth, the franchise was a dynasty. That ended abruptly when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 to help finance a musical, and from there the Yankees commandeered the 20th century, winning it all 26 times from 1923 through 2000.
But in 2004, Boston finally defeated the Yankees head-to-head, then won its first World Series in 86 years. That title seemed to lift the Red Sox from the burden and pressure of decades of futility.
Then they started to flow. Another arrived in 2007, and now 2013.
Since 2001, the Yankees have won only the 2009 World Series. They have been to the playoffs more often than the Red Sox (11 to 7) this century, but the Yankees are 1-2 in the World Series, and the Red Sox are 3-0.
There is no indication that Hal Steinbrenner, George's son, who has taken over as the Yankees' managing general partner, has unleashed a tirade against his top executives since Boston won. He is more reserved and measured than his father, who was known to issue stern warnings to his front-office people the day after the Yankees had captured a title.
Nor is anyone expecting Hal Steinbrenner to tear up his blueprint for the Yankees to build a champion while remaining, if possible, under the $189 million payroll threshold in 2014 to secure huge savings for the team.
Steinbrenner said it was a goal, not a mandate. So if the Yankees think they cannot build a championship-caliber team for less than $189 million, they can exceed it. And if they do get under $189 million in 2014, they will have more flexibility to spend in subsequent years.
Still, there is some discontent that the Yankees have not been able to draft and develop a reliable flow of young players who can contribute on the major league level. Even before the season ended, Steinbrenner made known his displeasure regarding the team's failures in player development.
The Red Sox, in contrast, have had a more productive farm system, the latest example being the 21-year-old infielder Xander Bogaerts. He made his major league debut in August and became a solid contributor in the postseason, hitting .296 and starting all six World Series games. Bogaerts is expected to be a regular member of Boston's 2014 lineup, at either third base or shortstop.
John Henry, the Red Sox owner, seemed to have his organization's ability to keep good young players coming when he spoke in the clubhouse during the team's Champagne celebration early Thursday.
"It's difficult to win when there are 30 teams trying to do what we did this year," he said. "The unsung heroes of World Series champions are the scouting departments, the coaching staff and the medical staff. Our medical staff did a tremendous job, and I think our coaching staff is the best in baseball. Oh, I shouldn't say that because people will come knocking on our doors. But I think that was a large part of it."
Like Cashman, Randy Levine, the Yankees' president, offered his congratulations to the Red Sox for their achievement (although he playfully argued that 2000 is part of the 21st century, making the Boston-Yankees championship score 3-2).
"They were an excellent team and they deserved to win it," he said. "They are a great rival and a great organization. But this year is over. Let's see what happens next year."
Levine has a point. After all, the Red Sox dominated the early part of the last century, too, and look what happened. If only the Yankees could persuade Henry to put on a musical and sell them David Ortiz.
