Bragging rights are always up for grabs in New
York as the Mets take on the Yankees. Can this new looks Mets team and Terry
Collins finally get over on the Yanks or will the Bronx Bombers continue their
dominance?
In last week's subway series, the New York Mets rolled into Yankee Stadium fresh off of a no-hitter and felt on top of the world. Well all of those good feelings quickly went out the door as the New York Yankees went on to sweep their crosstown rivals in three game series.
The Mets have recently rebounded with a sweep of their own, where they not only beat, but destroyed the Tampa Bay Rays by a combined total of 29-9 series score.
Now the tables have turned, and it will be the Yankees who will make the short trip to Shea Stadium, as the Mets look to avenge their losses. Let's take a look at some of the history that surrounds this series and discuss what this 'Subway Series' means to New Yorkers.
The Mets need to win
this series to regain confidence in themselves and to win back their fans
It almost seems like it is built in the Mets' DNA to rip the hearts of their fans out of
their chest. Every time they are in
contention they fall flat in on their faces. They went into Washington riding high, their fans excited to possibly be in first place for
the first time in a long time, but Washington has already taken two out of
three. All of that can be partially erased, though, if
the Mets can take the series from the Yankees but it will be a tall task as
they are surging at the moment.
The history between
these bitter rivals
Since the
inception of interleague play, the teams have met every regular season since
1997. Since 1999, they have met six times each season, playing two
three-game series, one in each team's ballpark. They have made the postseason
in the same year three times: 1999, 2000 and 2006, and faced off in the 2000 World Series.
The Yankees have pretty much owned the Mets over that span, going 49-35
against them. The Subway Series has been particularly painful for the Mets and their fans,
from the routine pop up that Louis Castillo dropped in the 9th
inning that lead to a Yankees victory to Mike Piazza's long shot to deep center that looked like a sure homer off Mariano Rivera - an event that would have given the Mets hope in the series - only to be caught by Bernie Williams at the wall. And, of course, nobody will ever forget the infamy of Roger Clemens throwing a bat at Mike Piazza, which led to both benches clearing. Still and all, the Yanks went on to win.
On May 20, 2006, less than
24 hours after a spectacular comeback win by the Mets, Pedro Martinez and Duaner
Sanchez kept the Yankees scoreless for eight innings
while the Mets scored four runs off of Mike
Mussina. In the top of the ninth, however, closer Billy Wagner who had pitched a perfect ninth the night before to
get the win, gave up four runs to tie the game and force extra innings. In the
top of the 11th, Andy
Phillips, of all people, singled
in the go-ahead run for the Yankees while Mariano Rivera pitched two shutout
innings for the win.
The Mets have suffered years of abuse from the Yankees, but
the new, never-say-die attitude that manager Terry Collins has brought to the ballclub may be just be what the Mets need to shut the Yankee up and
tell them “we’re not gonna take it anymore."