The games this past weekend between the Yankees and Mets, often referred to as the Subway Series were more than intense. The cross town rivalry between these two teams are one just two in the ML, with the other being the Chicago Cubs and White sox. The games this weekend really showed the rivalry between these two teams, and it were the guys who are new to the subway series who were showing the most passion.
Over the past few years the series did not feel like the subway series, It felt as if it was just another series that these two teams had to play. Not this series, these games brought intensity and a real desire to win. There were many things that lead to the resurgence of the series this weekend, one of them being the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The other one being the alleged sign stealing Saturday night.
With the playoffs right around the corner, and both teams on the outside looking in every game means something. This was now more than just a rivalry, but they were all key games in whether or not the respective team could make a playoff push.
Let’s start with the Friday night game, the first game of the series. The games this weekend were all played in Queens, but the Mets hardly had home field advantage as there were a ton of Yankee fans in attendance. The Mets went on to win game one 10-3, led by an outstanding pitching performance from rookie pitcher Tylor Megill. This game was electric, the players were playing with even more passion than usual, this was a much needed game for the Mets. The game seemed to give the Mets a lot of momentum going into the weekend, and the rest of the season at that.
The second game of the series on the 20th anniversary of the tragic events on 9/11, started with a ceremony. All the players from both sides embraced to show unity in New York. The game itself had plenty of offense.In the 8-7 win for the Yankees, who jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Aaron Judge hit 2 HRs. The Mets had their chances though, James McCann hit a 2-run HR in the 6th to take the lead but it just wasn’t enough. Reports came out after the game that after the Yankees jumped out to a 5-0 lead, Jonathan Villar called a mound meeting to alert Walker he believed he was tipping his pitches. Villar stated that he heard whistling coming from the Yankee dugout which he believed was to alert the batter of the pitch that was coming. Losing this game was heartbreaking, but the offense was there for the Mets and kept the hopes of a playoff push high.
Sunday night, the final game of the series, where the Mets won 7-6 on the back of Francisco Lindor who had 3 HRs. The tension in the game rose to another level after Lindors second HR when he whistled at the Yankee dugout. The next inning Giancarlo Stanton hit a 2-run HR to tie it and he started chirping Lindor as he ran by him, raising the tension even more. Then Lindors 8th inning HR to take the lead felt magical, the stadium went nuts, it all was lining up to be a Met win all on the back of the Mets new long term superstar.
This series was way more intense than any other Subway Series that I remember seeing. Both teams played with a crazy amount of passion and desire to win and beat the crosstown rivals. The Mets won the series 2 games to 1, on the backs on Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez, who could be the middle infield of the future for this Mets team. Both teams showed heart and a desire to win, which is what the rivalry is all about, it is supposed to be more intense than other series’s.
This series will be a staple on Francisco Lindors resume for years to come.