Watch: Best Red Sox-Yankees Brawls Through The Years

A pair of bench-clearing incidents Wednesday night at Fenway Park brought some animosity back to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, and brought to mind a few classic fights between the two teams from over the years.

The tension Wednesday started when Yankees designated hitter Tyler Austin slid spikes-first into Brock Holt at second base. The benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. When Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly beamed Austin later in the game, Austin threw the bat down and charged the mound.

It was not the first, or the worst, tussle between the Sox and Yanks. Here's a stroll down memory lane, and a look at three other classic Red Sox-Yankees melees.

After Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo plunked Alex Rodriguez in a July 2004 game at Fenway Park, Rodriguez had some choice words for Arroyo. Sox catcher Jason Varitek wasn't having it, so he approached Rodriguez and gently shoved his mitt in A-Rod's face, chaos ensued.

In 1973, another brawl ensued when Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk was bowled over at the plate by Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. Following the fracas, Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee stated that the Yankees were acting "like a bunch of hookers, swinging their purses."

Three years later, an all-out riot broke out at Yankee Stadium when another player collided with Fisk, outfielder Lou Piniella. Fisk escaped without any serious injuries, but the same cannot be said for Lee, who separated his shoulder in the incident.

Another scuffle broke out at Fenway Park during game three of the 2003 ALCS. Things started to get heated in the fourth inning after Pedro Martinez threw a pitch over the head of Karim Garcia. The two stared each other down for a few moments, but the real fun began when in the bottom half of the inning, when Manny Ramirez took exception to a pitch from Roger Clemens.

After the benches cleared, Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer charged Martinez, and the Hall of Fame pitcher grabbed Zimmer by the head and threw him to the ground.