Just how close is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry?

Yesterday, MLB Network released a poll via their twitter page asking fans to vote on which rivalry is currently the most heated in the game today.

We're breaking down the best rivalries on #MLBTonight at 6pE! What do you think is currently the most heated rivalry in the game?

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 1, 2017

They asked and the fans answered. The fans certainly got this one right, however it appears that MLB Network may be missing the boat by underselling this one a bit. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is more than just the most heated rivalry at any one point in time in Major League Baseball. It’s the best rivalry in Major League Baseball. Period. There is more than enough evidence to back up this claim. We all know about the Babe, Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, the Bloody Sock, the brawls, the pennant races, and the championships. But courtesy of HighHeatStats’ tweet we get a little closer look at just how close this rivalry is.

In the last 50 years, Red Sox and Yankees played 779 regular season games: NYY: 389 wins, 4.29 ERA, 776 HR BOS: 390 wins, 4.26 ERA, 765 HR — High Heat Stats ? (@HighHeatStats) February 3, 2017

How’s that for perspective? If you would like to dig a little bit deeper over those last 50 years, go ahead and add in 26 A.L. East division titles (18 for the Yanks, 8 for the Sox), 17 American League Pennants (11 for the Yanks, 6 for the Sox) and 10 World Series Championships (7 for the Yanks, 3 for the Sox) between the two clubs. There are so many layers to it, but the one aspect of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry that separates it from all others is the consistency. The consistent competition between these two clubs is unmatched by any other two teams in the game.   Follow me on Twitter, @JaredSaul