If you ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes story of the Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez fight, now’s your chance: Netflix is diving into one of the most discussed sports brawls of all time with a new clip from “The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox,” exclusively shared with TheWrap.
“I have a vivid memory of sitting on the plate with Theo in that game,” Jed Hoyer, assistant general manager for the 2004 Boston Red Sox, says in the clip, referring to general manager Theo Epstein. “And when the fight started, he jumped out of his seat. He was like pumped, like ‘Finally, we show some energy this year.’”
“Every barroom and household, it used to be like Cardinal Cushing, John F. Kennedy. But now it’s Jason Varitek stuffing his mitt into Alex Rodriguez’s face,” Dan Shaughnessy, a Boston Globe sports writer who covers the Red Sox, says. Watch the full clip below.
“The Comeback” will revisit one of the greatest comebacks in sports history: when the Boston Red Sox overcame a 3-0 series deficit to defeat their archrivals, the New York Yankees. That record-setting victory paved the way for the Red Sox winning their first World Series title in 86 years and breaking the infamous “Curse of the Bambino.”
“As a lifelong fan of the Red Sox, I always wanted to know what it was like in the clubhouse during that championship run,” director Colin Barnicle told TheWrap. “We know what it was like as a fans, but we wanted to know what it was like as a player, or the general manager, or even the owner. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during that fabled period of Red Sox history. And in making this, my team and I got to be.”
Over the course of working on the series, the “This Is a Robbery: The World’s Greatest Art Heist” and “Carol & Johnny” director realized that there were a series of “impact moments” that led to the Red Sox winning the World Series. Some of them could be traced back to the 2003 season. He also highlighted the candor of the MLB and players he and his team interviewed for this project.
“Through making this docuseries, we got to experience all of the things that the players got to experience: Being on the team plane, in the clubhouse, in the decision room of baseball operations,” Barnicle said. “Everybody knows what happened. We want them to know how it happened.”
The upcoming three-part series will premiere globally on Netflix Oct. 23 and is tied to the 20th anniversary of this groundbreaking run. It will feature interviews with key players and figures such as Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Terry Francona and Theo Epstein.
“The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox” is produced by Meadowlark Media and Barnicle Brothers in association with MLB and is directed by Barnicle. The docuseries is executive produced by Nick Barnicle, Colin Barnicle, John Skipper, Deirdre Fenton, Howard Bryant, Melody Shafir, Nick Davis and Nick Trotta.
