Manny Ramirez became a legend in Boston for helping snap the Red Sox’ 86-year championship drought and doling out plenty of damage against the Yankees. 

But even though the slugging outfielder frequently made life miserable for Boston’s top rival in The Bronx, Ramirez admitted earlier this week that he’s always had an affinity for the Yankees.

“I’m always a Yankee fan,” Ramirez told “The Bronx Zoo” this week when asked his opinion about New York. 

Even though the 52-year-old Ramirez was born in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo, Ramirez moved to the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City as a teenager — eventually establishing himself as a can’t-miss prospect while playing for George Washington High School in Upper Manhattan.

“I went to school in New York. That was one of my dreams, to play with the Yankees,” Ramirez noted. “Didn’t happen, but I got two World Series.”

Ramirez, who played for most of his prime years with Cleveland and Boston, regularly teed off against the Yankees during his career. 

The 12-time All-Star and 2004 World Series MVP played in 203 career games against the Yankees, batting .322 with 55 home runs and a whopping 165 RBI over that extended stretch. 

Ramirez’ standing as a franchise fixture on the Red Sox during the height of Boston’s rivalry with New York often made him a hated figure with Yankees fans. 

Ramirez slugged 29 of those 55 home runs against New York at Yankee Stadium, and also sparked a memorable brawl during the 2003 ALCS when Roger Clemens threw inside the plate against him at Fenway Park. The subsequent playoff fracas ended with Pedro Martinez throwing Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground. 

But even with plenty of highlights forged at the expense of the Yankees, the former star acknowledged that he always enjoyed playing in New York during his big-league career. 

“The Yankees fans are the best,” Ramirez said. “They demand a lot, like Boston fans, because they want to win and we [want] to win also.”

Ramirez still has plenty of affinity for New York, but he achieved most of his success in the big leagues with Boston — earning a spot in the Red Sox’s team Hall of Fame in 2022 after slashing 312/.411/.588 with 274 homers and 868 RBIs from 2001-08 with the team. 

“It was awesome,” Ramirez told The Boston Globe after being honored at Fenway Park in 2022. “I never thought that this thing was going to happen. To come into Boston after all the things that I went through and receiving it this way is unbelievable.

“That’s the way they receive you when you come home. This is my first home. I was here in 2000 to 2008 and I’m happy to be back home. “Boston and those fans, they’re the best. It doesn’t matter how bad you do. They always remember you, they always support you.”