Netflix shares glimpse into ‘The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox,’ focusing on Jason Varitek-Alex Rodriguez scuffle
"I thought for sure he was gonna, like, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, just body slam."
It’s been 20 years since the Red Sox made history with their improbable run to a World Series title in 2004.
A docuseries, titled “The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox,” will look back at that improbable journey. The docuseries doesn’t hit Netflix until Oct. 23, but the Red Sox offered a sneak peek via Twitter/X on Friday.
The scene focuses on the kerfuffle between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez in the July 24 game between the Red Sox and Yankees that season. When Bronson Arroyo hit Rodriguez in the arm with a pitch, Rodriguez objected and Varitek took a stand. The rest is history.
Jed Hoyer, now the Chicago Cubs’ president of baseball operations, said Theo Epstein jumped out of his seat and was pumped when the fight started.
Epstein, the former Red Sox general manager and architect of the 2004 team, enthusiastically offered a look back two decades later.
“I couldn’t believe Tek put his hands in his face like that,” Epstein said. “I have a perfect angle when he goes down to scoop him up. I thought for sure he was gonna, like, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, just body slam.”
The Boston Globe‘s Dan Shaughnessy said that up until that point, every bar room and household used to feature Cardinal Richard Cushing and President John F. Kennedy.
“Now, it’s Jason Varitek stuffing his mitt into Alex Rodriguez’s face,” Shaughnessy said.
As for the man himself, Varitek chuckled at the fact that he hit Rodriguez while wearing a mask.
“That’s what you think of in the moment, plays at the plate, whatever you do,” Varitek said. “Oh, timeout. I forgot I have my mask on. I wear this all the time. I’m gonna go put this over there. It is what it is.”
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