Knicks Finals Overshadow Yanks Rivalry

Even with the presence of the pitch clock since 2023, it is extremely rare for the Yankees and Red Sox to play a game that takes less than two and a half hours.

Yet on Friday, it took two hours and 23 minutes for the Red Sox to beat the Yankees. It actually would have taken less time if Aroldis Chapman did not wobble a little in the ninth.

Make no mistake about it, the vast majority of the 43,750 at Yankee Stadium were glad the game did not extend any longer. By the time Chapman recorded the final out, Game 2 of the NBA finals involving the Knicks and Spurs reached halftime and it is hard to blame anyone for their focus being on the game the Yankees were not playing.

How fans watched the NBA finals after a Yankee game

Knicks win the damn thing pic.twitter.com/JxRDovup05

— larryfleisher (@larryfleisher) June 6, 2026

While the excessive noise at Yankee Stadium is hardly a selling point, its location in the Bronx is attractive. Similar to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park it is in the middle of a neighborhood with several bars near the stadium.

So once the final out was made, many quickly found their way to bars such as Billy's, Stan's or the Dugout. The Dugout is the quickest walk since it is located behind right field and fans intent on watching the game there found a television with the sound turned up the full volume on the River Avenue sidewalk.

Consider it a smaller version of the outdoor watch parties near MSG and the volume is competing with the overhead road of the elevated subway every few minutes. Yet, the scene is electric as fans, media members (me) and stadium workers congregate on River Avenue.

There, they watch the ebbs and flows that defined the first two games of the series. The Knicks took a 14-point lead well after Sonny Gray discussed not pitching with his best stuff against a team he did not enjoy pitching for way back in 2017 and 2018, when the Knicks were hovering around the 30-win mark under coach Jeff Hornacek and with the promise of Kristaps Porzingis.

The crowd oohs as OG Anunoby drives by Victor Wembanyama for a dunk with 6:04 remaining. A few minutes later, apprehension fills the air.

It is a similar apprehension to the moment the Yankees started Aaron Judge's injury saga by starting with a bruised rib impacting his shoulder on Tuesday, to a fractured rib two days later.

Except this time, the nervousness increased a little more as the Spurs needed only 3:05 to score 14 straight points, making the rest of the game a one-possession contest.

The teams take turns holding the lead, and then the scene on River Avenue and elsewhere near the stadium goes wild when Jalen Brunson hits a majestic 13-foot fadeaway that can be hung as an exhibit in an art museum.

Brunson then hits a free throw for the lead with 9.5 seconds left, and when Wembanyama misses a 20-footer with two seconds left, the crowds file to the subway, and chants of "Let's Go Knicks" are continuous on the platform and in the train cars.

More From Larry Fleisher

• Aaron Judge Injury Update Sends Yankees Nasty Curve Ball
• Jalen Brunson and the Unmistakable Big East Vibe of the NBA Finals
• Knicks, Spurs NBA Finals tickets reach shocking $107,000 at MSG

How often do the Yankees and Red Sox play short games?

In the pitch clock era, the Red Sox and Yankees have played 33 regular-season games under three hours and seven shorter than two and a half hours. By comparison, from the peak of the rivalry in 2003 through 2022 – the last season without a pitch clock, the teams played 72 games under three hours, and only eight of those lasted less than two and a half hours.

Only six of those were two hours and 23 minutes or fewer and two were games stopped after six innings due to rain.

None of those were also being played the same night as a Knicks' NBA final game and it is a certainty anyone watching the Knicks at the bars near Yankee Stadium gave thanks to the Yankees and Red Sox playing their second-shortest game of the pitch clock era.

The bars outside Yankee Stadium may not experience a repeat of Friday if the Knicks can secure their first NBA title since 1973 by Game 5 on Saturday.

Their next chance would be after the Yankees host the White Sox on June 16 and following a Yankees-Reds game three days later.

While it may be good for bar business, anyone rooting for the Knicks as they closed out Game 2 is certainly hoping to avoid the series going into the next Yankee homestand.

Related: Victor Wembanyama Makes Calm Admission About Trump's NBA Finals Presence

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:35 AM.