 In 1973 , the American League decided to adopt the designated hitter rule . On April 6 , opening the season at Fenway Park , Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League history . Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant walked Blomberg in his first plate appearance of the game . Later that year at Fenway Park , with the score tied 2 – 2 in the top of the ninth , Yankees catcher Thurman Munson attempted to score from third base on a missed bunt by Gene Michael . He crashed into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk resulting in a fight with Munson punching Fisk in the face . The rivalry intensified in the 1970s with the fans too , as just a year later in 1974 at Fenway Park , Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss was struck in the right arm with a dart thrown from the stands after hitting an RBI ground @-@ rule double . Two years later , Yankee outfielder Lou Piniella would crash into Fisk feet first in an attempt to score in the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium . The two benches cleared while Piniella and Fisk brawled at home plate . After the fight apparently died down and order appeared to be restored , Sox pitcher Bill Lee and Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles and center fielder Mickey Rivers began to exchange words , resulting in another fight . Lee suffered a separated left shoulder from the tilt and missed the next 51 games of the 1976 season . He would continue to pitch until 1982 . The 1976 season saw the Yankees win the pennant , but lose to the Big Red Machine in the 1976 World Series , just like the Red Sox had done a year prior in the 1975 World Series in which Carlton Fisk hit his famous home run off of the left field foul pole at Fenway Park . 
