This is a strange time for Connecticut baseball fans.
The Red Sox and Yankees are bitter rivals, but some Sox fans are finding themselves doing something unusual -- rooting for the Yankees so their team makes it into the playoffs.
Jennifer Moroch said it best.
“I never thought the day would come, but Yankees please win,” she posted on Facebook. “It’s too early for the Sox to be through!!!”
At stake tonight is the American League Wild Card.
The Red Sox and Tampa Bay are tied for it and the Rays play the Yankees tonight while the Sox play the Orioles. If the teams remain tied after tonight, they will play a one-game tiebreaker on Thursday.
At last check, 43 percent of the state is in the Yankees’ corner, 38 percent is on the Red Sox side and 7 percent cheers for the Mets. That creates some tension in the Nutmeg state, and we asked you on Facebook who you are supporting. We also asked if -- gasp -- you're rooting for your team's biggest rival.
The response that we received was overwhelming. It was also quite divided.
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Some diehard fans said they would never root for the rival team.
“Not pulling for the Yankees. We got into this mess ourselves, and we will take care of it ourselves. If we lose tonight and the possible play-in game tomorrow, so be it. We learn from our losses, and may this collapse wake up the management in the Red Sox organization,” Eric Violette posted.
“My Yankees all the way, let's get that 28th title,” Juan Carlos Umpierre posted.
“Are you kidding me with this question? You are either a Sox fan or Yankee fan. There is no rooting for the other team!!! GO RED SOX!” Amanda Froncak Warner posted.
“I'm a Yankee fan and honestly I would love to see the Sox go down today,” Beth Elionfante Mulcunry wrote.
Others find themselves doing what would be unthinkable under different circumstances: rooting for the rival or even against their own team.
“I'm a Yankee fan, tonight I want Tampa to win, Red Sox don't deserve to go into the playoffs,” Nancy Kasper wrote.
“I’m torn. I’m a huge Yankees fan. I don’t know what I want more, the Rays to get the wild card and completely humiliate the Red Sox, or for the Red Sox to get the wild card and have the Yankees humiliate them. That’s tough, but either would be fine with me:),” Hayley Rice Fuller wrote.
“As a Yankee fan, I hope the Sox get in. I’d much rather ace the Sox than the Rays the way they are playing,” Bruce Riach wrote.
Then, Avery Douglas, “a Sox fan who today is rooting for the Yankees,” said he thought the Yankees would purposely lose to keep Sox out of the playoffs or make sure they are “good and tired if they make the playoffs.“
That did not sit well with Yankees fans.
“No way Yankees would lose to eliminate Sox! They are professionals and want home team advantage. Sox did it to themselves, let them and the Rays battle it out,” Linda Rinaldi
And Mets fans chimed in too.
“As a Mets fan I say GO RED SOX!!!! As the saying goes, "My two favorite teams are the New York Mets and anyone playing against the Yankees!" Country Maron posted.
