Yankees, Mets Bringing Excitement To New York
Since the all-star break and trade deadline, the National League and American League wild card races have picked up steam. However, two teams that have consistently been great this year are both the New York Yankees and Mets.
The AL East division-leading Yankees and NL East division-leading Mets have been on a tear as both teams have 70 plus wins on the year so far. Only four teams in the MLB currently have 70 plus wins, and both New York teams are on that list.
This season has been great so far for both New York teams that baseball has brought their fan bases excitement and optimism, creating buzz within the city.
The Yankees had not made a World Series appearance since 2009 when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to capture their 27th World Series title. However, they have consistently been knocking on the door of an appearance in the World Series since Aaron Judge made his full-season debut in 2017, where he won AL rookie of the year. That same year, the Yankees made their first ALCS appearance before losing to the Houston Astros in a seven-game thriller.
Since Judge’s debut, the Yankees have only been back to the ALCS once, which was back in 2019, before losing to the Astros again, but this time in six games off an Altuve walk-off home run.
The Yankees had a big deadline as they acquired Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas, relief pitcher Lou Trivino, and outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals.
With a big trade deadline and a strong division lead in the AL East, the Yankees, led by likely AL MVP outfielder Aaron Judge, are focused on getting back on track after getting swept by the Cardinals this past weekend as they take on the Seattle Mariners in a critical American League matchup.
On the other hand, the Mets have been hot, winning eight out of their last 10 games, including four out of five games in a crucial series against their NL East divisional rival and defending World Series Champions, Atlanta Braves. As a result, they now sit six and a half games out of first place from the Mets.
The Mets have not been to a World Series since 2015 when they lost to the Kansas City Royals in five games. Since the 2015 World Series, the Mets have failed to make a deep playoff run since that year. Part of that is because of ownership and finding a manager that can take the Mets back.
Since former Mets owners Jeff and Fred Wilpon sold the team to Steve Cohen, the Mets have been buzzing in the offseason and trade deadline. The team has made huge moves since Cohen arrived, such as trading for star shortstop Francisco Lindor in front of the Cleveland Guardians, all-star outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha from the Athletics, and all-star starting pitcher Max Scherzer.
On top of that, they hired a proven manager in Buck Showalter to be the new guy leading the team. In addition, they traded for key players to help improve their batting at the deadline, such as outfielder Tyler Naquin, DHs Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf, and relief pitcher Mychal Givens.
With the Mets reaching 70 wins and gaining breathing room in the NL East, this team will not be an easy out, especially in the postseason. With all-star pitcher Jacob DeGrom healthy again, teams will have a hard time going up against a rotation that consists of two Cy Young caliber pitchers along with former all-stars Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker and all-star closer Edwin Diaz in late-game situations.
To go along with their excellent starting rotation and Cy Young caliber closer, the Mets have had one of the best offenses in baseball. The Mets are ranked fourth in the league in total team batting average at .260 and sixth in OPS at .739. Led by other vital contributors to the team, such as NL MVP candidate first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, third baseman Luis Guillorme and all-star second baseman Jeff McNeil, the Mets offense has been able to provide their pitchers with run support consistently.
With both the Yankees and Mets sitting at the top of their divisions with 70 wins each, with both teams having a solid roster, there is a possibility that we will see a New York World Series rematch in the fall. This dream matchup would create even more excitement in New York as both teams are poised to make a deep run in the postseason.