BOSTON — If there was any doubt that the saltiness had returned to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, it evaporated late Wednesday night when a 97-miles-per-hour fastball from Boston reliever Joe Kelly found its intended target: Tyler Austin’s ribs.
Austin slammed his bat down, fired his helmet to the ground and charged after Kelly, and soon both benches and bullpens were empty.
It may not have quite matched Jason Varitek massaging Alex Rodriguez’s face with his glove, Lou Piniella flattening Carlton Fisk at the plate or Pedro Martinez throwing Don Zimmer to the ground, but it was still the signature moment in the Yankees’ 10-7 victory at Fenway Park.