New York Yankees vs. New York Mets

The rivalry between the New York Yankees and New York Mets is an inter-league rivalry between the two teams from the Big Apple. Often referred to as the Subway Series, the teams never played except in exhibition games until the beginning of inter-league play. Since the inception of inter-league play, the two teams have played each other in every regular season since 1997. The two also met in the 2000 World Series, where the moniker Subway Series was widely used and has stuck ever since.

Let’s take a look into their history:

History of NY Yankees vs. NY Mets Rivalry

The New York Mets and New York Yankees rivalry has its origins in the histories of the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Yankees, the three Major League Baseball teams of New York City from 1903–57. While those three teams claimed New York City, they each owned a specific part of the city as the Giants played in Manhattan, the Dodgers in Brooklyn, and the Yankees in the Bronx.

In 1958, both of New York’s National League teams changed coasts and moved to California. The Yankees were New York City’s only Major League Baseball team until 1962, when the expansion Mets joined the National League. The two teams never played until 1997, when inter-league play started. The Mets won the first matchup between the teams 6-0 at Yankee Stadium.

The 2000 season was the climax in this rivalry as the Mets and Yankees met in the World Series. The rivalry was already at its peak during the regular season as Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens hit Mets’ star Mike Piazza in the helmet with an inside fastball, causing Piazza to suffer a concussion.

The bad blood flared up in Game 2 of the World Series when memories of the Clemens-Piazza regular season feud came home to roost. During Piazza’s at-bat, he shattered his bat after fouling off one of Clemens’ pitches, and the shattered portion hurtled towards the mound. Clemens threw the broken bat and nearly hit Piazza. The incident caused both benches to clear. In the end, the Yankees took the series in five games, but the series was much closer than that. No game in the series was decided by more than two runs.

In 2002, Clemens faced the Mets for the first time at Shea Stadium. Clemens was forced to bat and Mets pitcher Shawn Estes attempted to hit Clemens in retaliation but instead threw a pitch behind Clemens. After that, the feud between Clemens and the Mets came to an end.

In 2008, both teams shuttered their ballparks. In 2009, a new Yankee Stadium opened, and the Mets opened Citi Field. Since that time, the rivalry has seen the tensions eased, and there has not been much bad blood between the two franchises. However, they do and always will compete for the New York fan base. In September 2017, due to Hurricane Irma, the Tampa Bay Rays had their series with the Yankees relocated to the Mets home at Citi Field. In reaction to a home run hit by the Yankees, a Mets fan was caught on camera with a stern face and gesturing a thumbs down to protest the Yankees success. The video of the incident went viral, and Frazier and the Yankees would later adopt the thumbs down gesture as a rallying cry for their playoff run.

Head to Head Comparison of New York Yankees and New York Mets Rivalry

Separated by mere miles, the two teams also have shared quite a few common, notable players. Players that have worn the uniform of both the Mets and the Yankees include Yogi Berra, Daryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran, Willie Randolph, and Robinson Cano. Berra also managed both teams.

The Yankees hold the edge in the all-time series between the two franchises with a record of 73-50. That mark includes the 4-1 victory over the Mets in the 2000 World Series. The Yankees also have no trouble traveling across town, as their record at Yankee Stadium is similar to that when traveling to Shea Stadium or Citi Field. At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are 38-23 while they are 35-27 at the Mets venue.

The Mets have won the season series just three times—in 2004, 2008, and 2013—while the Yankees have won it eleven times against the Mets. The teams have tied the season series nine times. The longest win streak for the Mets in the series was a six-game stretch in 2013-2014, while the Yankees rattled off seven in a row in 2002-2003. The Yankees also own the largest margin of victory between the two teams with a 15-0 victory in 2009. The Yankees and Mets now play each other each season in a four-game series.

Rivalry Outlook for Yankees vs. Mets

The Yankees have an optimistic outlook moving forward as they have a young core and a scary lineup moving into 2019. The only real question mark they have moving forward is their ability to limit their opponent’s run scoring. Furthermore, the Yankees have their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox, in the division, and the Red Sox are the best team in baseball. However, with their young core and their ability to spend, the Yankees should be perennial playoff contenders for the near future.

The Mets are in a rebuilding mode. They have not seen the playoffs for a while, and the fan base is aware of this. The Mets are finally in a position to spend some money and try to lure the big names to their side of town. This rivalry, like all others, is at its peak when both teams are on top of their game. The Mets are trying to get back there. If they can do this, they will once again try and challenge the Yankees for Big Apple supremacy, and some of the bad blood from the early 2000s may spill over yet again.