Subway Series looking to be worth the ride after big wins by Mets, Yankees
The Mets and Yankees both had reasons to celebrate during late wins on Sunday entering the Subway Series. Credit: Rich Schultz/Getty Images; Noah K. Murray
There seemed to be this growing sentiment, popular not long ago, that getting too excited for the Subway Series was almost a little bit embarrassing, even passé.
It was as if the “evolved” fan knew better than to put a lot of stock in a handful of games against an interleague opponent, even if it happened to reside a few miles across the RFK Bridge.
Intracity rivalries are quaint — the implication being that a truly good team needs to set its sights on loftier goals.
Regular-season bragging rights are consolation prizes for teams that don’t play in October.
It’s all very exhausting and not even a little bit fun, and thank goodness that’s over.
Because this coming two-game series? This is must-watch TV.
Sunday afternoon heralded a duo of stirring wins, both in the Bronx and in Philly.
First, the Yankees, who translated a near-brawl in the fifth inning and a frustrating recent stretch into a victory over the Blue Jays — one keyed by Andrew Benintendi’s go-ahead homer.
Then there was the Mets’ wild, winding afternoon against the Phillies — a comeback win that had players screaming and cheering in the visitor’s clubhouse long after Edwin Diaz recorded the save.
“Little boys having fun,” said Mark Canha, who hit two homers, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the ninth. “It was an emotional week.”
And it should only ramp up from here.
Next, the Mets travel to the Bronx, where for the second time this season — the second time since interleague play started in 1997 — both teams will enter this series at the top of their respective divisions.
Sure, the Yankees have been scuffling, but it’s the Mets who have Atlanta just four games behind them in the NL East despite being on pace for a 100-win season.
If the weather cooperates (it’s supposed to rain), Max Scherzer will get the ball Monday, and it’s likely that Jacob deGrom will go the day after that.
And though the Yankees’ offerings are far more modest — Domingo German and Frankie Montas are slated to take the hill — their offense, despite the recent swoon, still has the highest OPS in the American League.
There’s even that vague, tantalizing hope to consider: Just maybe this won’t be the last time the teams meet this season. Another Subway World Series? New York would combust (again).
All of which is to say that not only is it OK to get excited about this series, it’s basically your duty as a New York baseball fan.
The games matter, the talent is top-tier and the atmosphere — that stadium-rattling din that never seems to stop — is as close as anyone is going to get to playoff baseball until the weather gets colder.
It’s the perfect dress rehearsal for October and the perfect illustration of what’s been a mostly-charmed few months for a city full of fans.
What’s more, the Yankees’ recent woes — 10-20 since the All-Star break — have imbued them with a bite and a desperation that belies their eight-game lead in the AL East.
Let’s not forget that the Mets swept them just last month and that on Saturday, Aaron Boone was so irked with his listless team that he banged on a table during his news conference.
But no manager is going to amp up the pressure on an already pressure-filled situation, and when he was asked about the Subway Series, Buck Showalter gave something of a verbal shrug.
“I don’t know — it’s pretty intense in our locker room right now,” he said after the 10-9 win. “It’s a good club — a really good team. Another one. We just played one, we played one in Atlanta and we play another good one tomorrow. We’ll grind it for nine innings and see what the baseball gods — where it takes us.”
And at the core, he’s right. The Phillies mattered. Atlanta certainly matters. A win over the Yankees counts just as much as one over the Reds at the end of 162. But that’s a manager’s way of thinking.
The rest of us? We can go ahead and enjoy the (subway) ride.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
