New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who grew up in Cambridge, remains an unapologetic Boston Red Sox fan, despite getting criticized for it by a mayoral race opponent during a wild debate on Tuesday night, a de Blasio spokesman said.
“The Mayor’s still very much a Sox fan and was as upset as anyone when they got knocked out. He doesn’t root for the Yankees, and I don’t see that ever changing,” press secretary Eric Phillips said in an e-mail.
On Tuesday night, de Blasio and two other mayoral candidates engaged in a raucous debate. While the moderator promised that the evening would be a conversation about the issues, that did not last long, the New York Times reported.
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“First of all, I’ve got to say, go Yankees!” de Blasio opponent Bo Dietl yelled in his opening statement, adding, “I know one thing. Mayor de Blasio’s a Boston Red Sox fan! He’s not a Yankee fan.”
De Blasio is facing off with Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican; and Dietl, an independent. De Blasio is heavily favored to win. Malliotakis and Dietl double-teamed the mayor throughout the night in the rough and tumble event.
The serious issues discussed included crime, affordable housing, and the city’s budget.
De Blasio, a graduate of Rindge and Latin High School, has been open about rooting for the Sox. “I am very much a Red Sox fan,” de Blasio said in a 2013 Globe interview. “I can name you more players than you could possibly imagine. It’s just part of who I am.”
De Blasio periodically gets flak in New York for being a Sox fan and not attending Yankees games. A New York Post headline in May blared, “This is how much Bill de Blasio hates the Yankees.” One of his primary opponents staged a mock debate in August with a stick wearing a Red Sox hat that represented de Blasio.
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The Red Sox were eliminated this week from the baseball’s playoffs by the Houston Astros. But the Yankees remain alive. With the best-of-five series tied at 2-2, the Yankees are heading Wednesday to a crucial Game 5 in the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Indians.