As of press time, both New York major league baseball teams occupy first place in their respective divisions. The New York Yankees are a game-and-a-half up on the Toronto Blue Jays while the New York Mets have four games between them and the second place Washington Nationals.
The last time both teams were in first place this late in the season was 2006, when the Bronx Bombers wound up winning the American League East before falling to the Detroit Tigers 3-1 in the 2006 American League Division Series. The Metropolitans took the National League East and fell one game short of going to the World Series after a Game 7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals (it was also the last season the Mets reached the postseason.)
Present day, both teams dominate weak divisions but have contrasting strengths and weaknesses. While the Mets boast one of the best starting rotations in major league baseball, their bullpen is highly suspect and only recently has the team’s lineup gotten a power surge thanks to trade deadline acquisitions of Yoenis Céspedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.
By leaning heavily on one of the best bullpens in the league, the Yanks have lived up to their name led by veteran hitters Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran and a rejuvenated Alex Rodriguez while the starting rotation has been forced to carry a floundering C.C. Sabathia as a steady stream of starters has been shuttled back and forth from the minors. The staff present-day staff ace turns out to be Nathan Eovaldi (13-2), who’s been out-pacing Japanese savior Masahiro Tanaka.
From 1947 to 1964, the World Series was played in New York City except for the years 1948 and 1959. We could wind up with another Subway Series 15 years after Yankees-Mets Part I. It’s a great time to be a local baseball fan.
—Dave Gil de Rubio
