While Anfield rocked and Liverpool blitzed Barcelona to reach the Champions League final, another sports team on the other side of the world stopped and watched.
The Boston Red Sox were in the middle of batting practice ahead of their game against the Baltimore Orioles. Bats and gloves went down. Their sister side were pulling off something spectacular and it had to be seen. After Divock Origi sent Liverpool to Madrid, manager Alex Cora told his players to take inspiration from what the Reds had just achieved.
The reigning World Series winners and the now kings of Europe, based 3,000 miles apart, have one key link. That is, barring the colour that gives the Boston side their name.
Liverpool celebrating after winning the Champions League with a victory against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid in early June
The Boston Red Sox capture their fourth World Series since ending the 'Bambino Curse' in 2004 and lift trophy in Los Angeles
The two sporting giants are owned by John W. Henry (right) and Fenway Sports Group, who bought Liverpool in 2010
It is owner John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group.
But there is plenty shared between the two sides too. They are two historically successful teams who, until recently, struggled to match that past to present glories.
And their grounds are landmarks in their own rights. Fenway Park is one of baseball's most famous stadiums.
Take the Green Monster, for example. It is a giant wall in left-field that is unique to Fenway. 'You guys have Big Ben,' Red Sox historian Gordon Edes told Sportsmail on a recent visit, 'Paris has the Eiffel Tower. We have the Green Monster'.
It is comparable with the Kop at Anfield, a unique facet to a ground that defines a sports team.
Fenway Park, the long-term home of the Boston Red Sox, has been known as one of America's greatest grounds for years
It matches with the Kop at Anfield, which is regarded as one of the cultural landmarks of Liverpool and English football
Established: 1901
World Series titles (9): 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018
Pennants (14): 1903, 1904, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018
Revenue in 2018: $516million (£404m)
Ground: Fenway Park (37,755 capacity)
Manager: Alex Cora
Key players: Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Hanley Ramirez
Back to Henry himself. He had a mixed reception to his time as owner of Liverpool – something that has dulled since they won their sixth Champions League. But he faced the same level of suspicion when he turned up at Fenway Park.
The 69-year-old had owned the Florida Marlins, a jobbing Major League Baseball side, for three years before selling up. They were nothing compared to the Red Sox, one of baseball's grandest names.
Not that everything was fine at Fenway. The Curse of the Bambino – by which the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth and failed to win the World Series for 86 years – hung over the place.
There were also plans for the demolition of the historic ground with the intention of building a new stadium next door.
Instead, Henry put plans in place to renovate Fenway at the cost of around $300m – similar to how notions of leaving Anfield have been shelved under FSG.
Their Main Stand expansion went so well because Henry and Co have simply been there before.
The Boston Red Sox and the Brooklyn Robins facing off during the 1916 World Series at Fenway Park, which the Red Sox won
A general view of Fenway Park and the famous Green Monster, which used to be covered in advertising in the past
Now the advertising matches the general design of the Green Monster, which had seating installed on it by Henry's regime
Established: 1892
First Division titles (18): 1900-01, 1905-06, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1946-47, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90
European Cup/Champions League (6): 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019
Other major honours: 18
Revenue (2017-18 season): £455m
Ground: Anfield (54,074 capacity)
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Key players: Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane
Henry knew the value of the Green Monster, for example. Instead of knocking it down, he kept it, and, for the first time in its 90-year history, added seats on top. People pay hundreds of dollars for tickets there.
Moneyball was also the in vogue topic at the time of his arrival. Henry was always obsessed with numbers, even before he made his money as a commodities trader.
Discussing a spell when he took over the family farm, his neighbour Rex Twist said: 'Most farmers want to talk
