‘Polarizing’ Red Sox Rookie Pitcher Makes History in Win Over Yankees

Dobbins threw six shutout innings at Fenway Park on Saturday, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five in what turned out to be a 4-3 Red Sox victory over the American League East-leading Yankees. 

On June 8, in an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, Dobbins went five innings at Yankee Stadium, allowing three runs on four hits without a walk or a strikeout. He was credited with the win in that one, as Boston blew past the Bronx Bombers, 11-7.

The last rookie pitcher to beat the Yankees twice in a week was also a Red Sox hurler: Daisuke Matsuzaka, according to  OptaStats.

In 2007, in just his fourth and fifth starts for the Red Sox after an eight-year career for the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League, Matsuzaka won two straight games against the Yankees, on April 22 at Fenway, and April 27 in New York.

But what made Dobbins' accomplishment even more remarkable was that he did it in the middle of a media firestorm that saw the unassuming rookie branded as a “polarizing” figure by the New York media.

Prior to his first start against the Yankees, Dobbins was quoted as saying that he would refuse to sign with the Yankees even if they were the last team to offer him a contract. 

The reason, in part, had to do with his father, who he said had been twice drafted by New York, but traded away.

As it turned out, that wasn’t true. 

The New York media seized on the erroneous statements and branded Dobbins and his father, who had supposedly told him the Yankees story, as liars.

Dobbins, however, shrugged the whole thing off. 

“Doesn’t faze me, doesn’t bother me,” he told reporters after the accusations of falsehoods became public. “I love working with the media, everybody has been great. My focus has been performing for the locker room and the fans of Boston. Growing up watching those series you can’t wait to be on the mound for it.”

Saturday’s win was Dobbins’ fourth of the season against just one loss. His six scoreless innings lowered his ERA to 3.74 across 11 appearances, including two out of the bullpen.