New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are both East Coast Major League Baseball teams that absolutely do not like each other. The Mets and Phillies have one of the most intense rivalries in professional baseball, and it is commonly referred to as the “Battle of the Broads.” It isn’t uncommon for New York and Philadelphia teams to have a rivalry in major sports, but this one might be the fiercest.

The 1980s saw many brawls happen when these two teams met up on the field, and the rivalry has intensified in the last 10-12 years as both teams battled for National League East supremacy. Some of the game’s greatest stars have suited up for each team, and there have been some great teams assembled on both sides of this rivalry. It might not get the same attention as the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, but this rivalry is no doubt one of the best in the Major Leagues.

History of Mets vs. Phillies Rivalry

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will have played each other over 1,000 times by the end of the 2019 regular season. The Philadelphia Phillies hold a slim lead of 508 wins to 479 losses over the New York Mets, and remarkably, these teams have never met up in the postseason. New York and Philadelphia first met all the way back in 1962, and the Phillies dominated that first season, winning 14 of the 18 games played in this rivalry. The first several decades of this rivalry were largely noncompetitive as each team enjoyed success while the other was near the bottom of the standings.

Things really heated up in the mid-2000s when the Mets and Phillies were considered the two best teams in the National League. New York was able to win the National League East Division in 2006 before seeing their rivals rattle off five straight division championships from 2007-2011. In recent years, both the Mets and Phillies have gone through rebuilding phases, but odds are that this rivalry is set to heat up again.

The New York Mets were brought into the National League in 1962 to replace the departing New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. The Mets are often considered the “little brother” to the New York Yankees, but they have found some success in their own right. New York went just 40-120 in their first season, but by the end of the 1960s they had won a World Series Championship with a team known as the “Miracle Mets.” The Mets were able to win a second World Series Championship in 1986 against the Boston Red Sox in dramatic fashion.

The Mets squared off against the Yankees in the 2000 “Subway” World Series, but their intra-city rival won it all. New York is one of the best sports cities in all of America, and the Mets have done plenty to make their city proud throughout the years. The Mets have gone through a rebuilding phase in recent seasons, but they will be back on top before long.

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the oldest teams in professional baseball and were founded in 1883. The Phillies won their first National League pennant in 1915, but they struggled to finish it off and win the World Series. Philadelphia went through a drought for 77 years before finally winning their first World Series championship in 1980.

Philadelphia fans are some of the most intense and passionate in the world, and they have often expressed their displeasure with the work of the Phillies. Since being founded in 1883, the Phillies have won just over 47 percent of their games, but the 21st century has been better to the club. The Phillies were a perennial playoff contender in the mid-2000s and look to be headed back down that path in the near future.

Head to Head Comparison of New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have each won a pair of World Series championships. Philadelphia has had more success in reaching the World Series and has won seven National League pennants. New York has been able to win the National League pennant just five times. The Mets have won the East Division a total of six times, while the Phillies have racked up 11 division titles in team history. Even though this has been an extremely intense rivalry between the Mets and Phillies, each team has struggled to find postseason success.

Glance at Last 20 Games Between Mets and Phillies

Since the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are both members of the National League East, they play 19 times each season. Let’s take a look at the entire 2018 regular season slate in this rivalry as well as the final game of the 2017 season series. The New York Mets were slightly better than the Philadelphia Phillies in the last 20 games, posting an 11-9 record against their rival. Winning on the road in the Major Leagues is traditionally a hard thing to do, and that is the way that this rivalry broke down in the last 20 games.

The Mets went 6-3 against the Phillies in games played in New York, and they also won a neutral site game that was played at the site of the Little League World Series. The Phillies also played well at home, posting a 6-4 record against the Mets in Philadelphia. The 2019 season can obviously be very different, but looking at the last 20 games can help us make some predictions moving forward.

Looking at the head to head results in the last 20 games is just a small part of trying to break down this rivalry. In order to try and make some predictions for the next twenty games between the Mets and Phillies, we also need to look at total runs and run spreads. The Mets and Phillies combined to go “under” the line for total runs in 11 of the past 20 games while going “over” just eight times. New York and Philadelphia had one “push” in the last 20 games when the total run line was set at 7.0 runs.

Despite winning just nine of the last 20 games in this rivalry, the Philadelphia Phillies were actually the betting favorite in 13 of the games. The Phillies went just 7-6 against the spread as the betting favorite, but they did manage to post a winning record. New York was dominant in the seven games that they were favored, posting a 6-1 record against the spread. If the past 20 games are any indication of what will happen in 2019, betting the “under” and the New York Mets when favored are the top picks.