The Yankees and Mets will face off for the first time this season on Friday night, though Jacob deGrom won't be a part of the series, just missing an opportunity for a classic showdown with Gerrit Cole.
A battle of aces would have certainly made for one of the more hyped Subway Series matchups in recent years, but if the two crosstown rivals can produce an excitement that rivals these five previous matchups, it should be a good holiday weekend.
Here are six of the most memorable games in Subway Series history:
Wright walks it off
The Mets overcame an early 4-0 deficit to pull within one in the ninth on May 19, 2006, but completing the comeback was a tall order with the great Mariano Rivera on the mound. But Paul Lo Duca doubled with one out in the frame, and with the Mets down to their final out, David Wright lined a deep single to the wall in dead center to send the Shea Stadium crowd home happy.
BamTino
David Cone took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against his former team on June 18, 1997, but the Mets broke through and tied the game in the eighth on a balk, sending the game into extra innings. But in the 10th, the Yankees got to John Franco, as Tino Martinez laced a walk-off single to left to score Paul O'Neill and give the Yankees the win and clinch the first-ever series between the two teams.
Mets get to Mo
The Yankees slugged six home runs on July 10, 1999, including a pair from O'Neill, but it still wasn't enough to hold off the Mets. Mike Piazza went deep in the seventh to give the Mets the lead, and after the Yanks responded with two runs in the eighth to take the lead right back, Joe Torre gave the ball to Rivera in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their last out, Piazza drew a walk to load the bases before pinch hitter Matt Franco ripped a two-run single to right to give the Mets the walk-off win at Shea.
The drop
One of the wildest endings the Subway Series has ever seen, Alex Rodriguez slammed his bat on the ground after lifting a seemingly harmless pop fly to shallow right field, which most assumed would give the Mets an 8-7 win on June 12, 2009. But Luis Castillo drifted, and drifted, and drifted some more before the popup squirted out of his glove. Mark Teixeira was running all the way from first with two outs, and came around to score the winning run in an improbable Yankee win.
Game one
The first World Series game between these two teams had it all. A missed home run by a matter of inches turned into a perfect relay throw from Derek Jeter to nab Timo Perez at the plate to keep the game scoreless in the fifth, but the Mets rebounded to score three in the seventh to take a 3-2 lead heading into the ninth. O'Neill sparked a Yankee rally with a clutch 10-pitch walk against Armando Benitez, and a sacrifice fly by Chuck Knoblauch sent the game into extra innings. Jose Vizcaino played the hero with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th to give the Yankees the series lead.
The clincher
Al Leiter gave everything he had with the Mets facing elimination in game five of the 2000 World Series, tossing 8.2 innings and throwing 142 pitches. It was enough to send the game into the ninth tied at two apiece, but with two out in the top of the ninth, Jorge Posada walked, Scott Brosius singled and Luis Sojo followed with a base hit up the middle to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. The Mets brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in Piazza, who just missed a game-tying home run off Rivera. Instead, he skied out to deep center to give the Yankees a three-peat.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch




