The Mets and Yankees enter the Subway Series, take two, trending in opposite directions despite being in opposite spots in their division races.
The Yankees avoided a sweep against the Jays on Sunday, but are just 5-14 in August…and still have an eight-game lead over Toronto that, while half of what it was weeks ago, still seems pretty comfortable. The Mets, meanwhile, had a wild comeback win over Philly on Sunday, and while they have the second-best record in MLB, their lead over Atlanta (the fifth-best team) is just four games, down from six just 10 days ago.
So, it’s no surprise that both teams and both fan bases are jacked up for this two game set at Yankee Stadium…and so are the skippers.
“We’re going up against a great team that’s playing really well, and I’ve always felt the Subway Series is a fun time of the year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It gets that extra bit of buzz, and you enjoy those games that feel a little bit different in the course of the year. We know we've got a challenge with a great team and a couple of great starters coming at us.
Hopefully we can go out and put our best foot forward."
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Buck Showalter reflected on the old Mayor's Trophy games, as he was gone from the Yankees by the time interleague play became a thing,
"It's important to our fans. That's the bottom line - if it's important to them, it should be important to us," he said. "To sit around and say it's another game...let's be frank: it means a lot to our fans, and that's what matters."
Showalter announced that Taijuan Walker is feeling better and will start Tuesday, so the Yankees won't see Jacob deGrom. That robs fans of seeing both Mets aces, but Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is looking forward to watching Domingo German and Frankie Montas do battle with Max Scherzer and Walker.
"We're gonna have to fight every pitch. Max is gonna bring it, and their bullpen is pretty lockdown,” Cole said. “We’re going to have to play crisp and clean, and hope for a little good fortune, because it’s going to be a dogfight.”
“It’s going to be fun,” added catcher Jose Trevino, who got his first taste of the Subway Series in Queens earlier this year, but knows the atmosphere might be more raucous in the Bronx: “I think the fans are gonna be into it and we're gonna enjoy it."
And then, there are those like Brett Baty, who wasn’t around earlier this year when the two teams played, and is stoked to have one of his first few series in MLB be the Subway Series.
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"It’s always cool, and I can't wait to get out there and see the atmosphere and the crowd,” Baty said. “All the guys have said it’s unbelievable, and especially here (at Yankee Stadium), the atmosphere is going to be crazy, and I can’t wait.”
Things may change for one of the two teams come 36 hours from now, depending on whether the two games are a sweep or a split, but one thing is for sure: the buzz is palpable already.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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