Red Sox rookie: I'd retire before playing for Yankees
Hunter Dobbins hates the Yankees.
The Boston Red Sox rookie right‑hander let it be known ahead of his first start against the Yankees Sunday that he would rather retire than wear pinstripes.
'My dad was a die-hard Red Sox fan,' Dobbins said, per the Boston Herald. 'And I've said it before, that if the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I'd retire.'
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Now 25, he grew up a Red Sox fan.
Hunter Dobbins pitches during the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday, June 2, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
MLB Photos via Getty Images
His father, Lance Dobbins, was especially passionate about Boston.
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'I didn't get attached to a team, but I grew up watching (the Red Sox), and just, I think out of disdain for the Yankees, I watched anybody but them.' Dobbins added.
And regarding his least favorite Yankee, Dobbins admitted it was pretty much all of them.
Although, one was safe.
'Can I say all of them but Andy Pettitte?' Dobbins asked. 'Andy Pettitte and my dad were really good friends.'
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Hunter Dobbins pitches during the seventh inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 28, 2025.
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Dobbins has shown flashes in his first season in the Red Sox rotation.
The Texan, who debuted in April after being selected in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech, has recorded a 4.06 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 44.1 innings pitched across nine outings, seven of which were starts.
Boston and New York split the first two games of their current series, with the Bronx Bombers taking game one on Friday with a 9-6 victory, and the Red Sox evening the score winning 10-7 on Saturday.
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The season finale will take place at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, where Dobbins will make his first official on-field contribution to the rivalry.
He's excited to make his mark in the series.
'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. 'I'm hoping I hit a career-high in velo or something. … I'm ready for it. Sunday can't come fast enough.'
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