Earlier this year, there was talk that this would probably be the greatest New York baseball season ever, but it was clear that there was at least a small divide between the city’s major league teams.
The Yankees were still big dogs, and the Mets were having a great season, but looked less threatening.
A little over two weeks ago, after the game on July 23, the Yankees were 65-31, battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for the all-time record in baseball. The Mets have a reliable 58-37 record that puts him 6.5 games ahead of crosstown rivals and just 0.5 games behind rival Atlanta in the National League East.
Things changed quickly. Since then, the Mets are his 15-2 and the Yankees his 6-10. That put the Mets on top, at least for now.with wednesday 10-2 win At Citi Field in Cincinnati, the Mets improved to 73-39, two games better than the losing Yankees. 4-3, went to Seattle on Wednesday and fell 71-41. The Mets also took over the second-best record in the majors behind the still-high-flying Dodgers with a 76-33 record ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
Perhaps most importantly, the Mets gave Atlanta a significant lead.
The current streak began with a victory over the San Diego Padres on July 24, but it took shape in the next two games as the Mets hosted the Yankees in their first Subway Series of the season, sweeping two games. .
Eduardo Escobar: ‘It was like a World Series home run, honestly’ told reporters His two-run home run in the first inning gave the Mets 6-3 win in the first game. “I’ve never played in an environment like this before.”
Sterling Marte’s goodbye single in the bottom of the 9th inning of the second game completed the sweep a day later.
The win appeared to launch the Mets, and the momentum continues from there: extending the division lead with a crucial Miami sweep, a 3-2 victory over Washington, and a 5-4 victory over Atlanta. Wednesday’s win saw them sweep the Reds three games. After Thursday’s off day, the Mets will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets have shown excellence on the mound and at bat. The Mets are in the top four in the majors in points per game and his points per game. (Naturally, so are the Yankees and Dodgers.)
The Mets have been strengthened with the return of Jacob deGrom from injury. He allowed no runs in the first game of his comeback, gave up one run in five innings, and then struck out 12. 5-2 win It was their first win in over a year against Atlanta on Sunday. Max Scherzer, another one of his ace on the team, gave up just his two earned runs in three starts in his 3-0 lead in the hot run. And closer Edwin Diaz, who shreds the league with a 52.9% strikeout rate, saved six of his 15 wins.
On offense, the Mets have done it with depth. Only regular starter Pete He Alonso has an on-base percentage and slugging percentage above . 900.
Despite the hot streak, there are some worrisome signs. The Mets weren’t completely blowing the team, 13 of their 15 wins were by four runs or less, and the Yankees have won only six games in that span, three of which he’s been behind. was 6 points behind and two games he was 5 points behind.
This follows a pattern during the season. The Yankees’ plus 204 ran differential only trails the plus 233 Dodgers. The Mets are plus 127. It’s a good total and a win is a win, but the big scoring gap between the Dodgers and Yankees could indicate they can reach a higher gear.
Either way, the Mets lead the NL East by seven games over Atlanta, and the Yankees are 10 games over Toronto, whose Wednesday’s game in Baltimore was postponed due to rain.
FanGraphs for both New York teams 100% chance of making the playoffs. So, aside from bragging rights, it’s not often the team achieves the best record.
Still… best regular season records determine home field advantage in the World Series. There is a long way to go and many things to break right, but if there is the first Subway Series since 2000, all regular season games can actually matter.
