Frenzied Yankees-Mets atmosphere makes World Series matchup feel like a reality
Yankees pitcher Max Fried throws out Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuña before reaching first base during the fifth inning on Sunday at Yanke Stadium. Credit: Noah K. Murray
Only because New York is the self-proclaimed center of the universe can we get away with labeling this edition of the Subway Series a World Series preview.
Apologies to the other 28 teams, and specifically the $400 million juggernaut in L.A. (maybe the fast-maturing Tigers?), but it’s easy to imagine the two first-place neighbors who battled in the Bronx this weekend advancing to the Fall Classic in October.
Ironically, it was the Yankees — the supposed loser in the Juan Soto sweepstakes — who put those winter savings toward the retooled roster that propelled them to an 8-2 victory over the Mets on Sunday night and the series win, only their second in nine years.
Sunday’s sellout crowd of 48,028 was Yankee Stadium’s largest of the season, and now, after experiencing the frenzied atmosphere of three packed houses in the Bronx — fueled by their high-decibel displeasure with Soto — we also have an idea of what it could feel like if that Fall Classic ever does come to fruition.
Before the series finale, Yankees manager Aaron Boone used words such as “crazy” and “pretty epic” to describe what an October showdown could be. The whole weekend fit that definition, and particularly Sunday night, as the Yankees turned to rookie Jorbit Vivas, a backup infielder, for the 11-pitch at-bat that ignited the game-changing six-run eighth inning.
With runners on second and third and one out in a 2-2 game, Vivas battled reliever Ryne Stanek through a barrage of 100-mph fastballs, twice fouling off three in a row, before slapping a grounder to first base. Pete Alonso airmailed his throw to the plate as the Yankees made it 3-2. On a night when Aaron Judge went an astonishing third straight game without an RBI, it was Vivas who contributed to the go-ahead run, and Cody Bellinger iced it with a two-out grand slam.
“I’m really just trying to make contact there, put the ball in play,” Vivas said through an interpreter. “He’s throwing 100 mph, so I don’t want to do too much.”
Count Bellinger among the offseason upgrades who probably never wind up in the Bronx if Soto had taken Hal Steinbrenner’s $760 million bid. The Yankees picked up the $47 million remaining on Bellinger’s contract to acquire him from the Cubs slightly over a week after Soto agreed to his $765 million deal with the Mets.
And it wasn’t just Bellinger, of course. You could argue the Yankees are better off without Soto, as general manager Brian Cashman’s winter pivot yielded a number of key contributors this season, none bigger than Sunday’s starter, Max Fried. If Soto still were in pinstripes, there’s no way Steinbrenner would have approved Fried’s $218 million deal.
Two months later, they lost Gerrit Cole for the season to Tommy John surgery. Fried wound up being the perfect replacement, entering Sunday night 6-0 with a 1.11 ERA, the lowest in the majors.
Fried hung around for six innings against the Mets, and the two runs he allowed actually nudged his ERA up to 1.29. Still, the Yankees improved to 9-1 in his starts, accounting for a third of the team’s wins, meaning they probably wouldn’t be atop the AL East without him. Not only that, but Fried (eight strikeouts) definitely looked comfortable in a raucous Yankee Stadium.
“It was intense,” he said. “Both teams going at it, giving everything they had.”
As for Soto, he was mostly a non-factor, aside from being the target of the fans’ derision. He went 1-for-10 in the series, the lone hit being a single, with four walks and three strikeouts. It was astonishing to witness for a player of his contract and caliber.
After his memorable helmet-tip to the crazed masses, it was all downhill from there. He looked overmatched against Fried, taking defensive swings against his ever-changing speeds and wicked breaking pitches.
By bringing Soto back to the Bronx, courtesy of Steve Cohen swiping him from Steinbrenner, the Mets essentially carried a lightning rod into a thunderstorm this weekend.
Said Alonso: “Obviously it’s loud and it’s passionate, especially with us getting Juan this offseason.”
The Soto signing was meant to put the Mets more on par with the Yankees, to help further Cohen’s vision of shedding that “little-brother” perception and help give the Flushing franchise equal footing in New York. Cohen’s strategy is working, but it’s not all because of Soto, as the rest of his $328 million roster has been doing plenty of the heavy lifting.
Entering Sunday, the Mets’ 29 wins were second only to the Tigers (31), and they managed a split of the first two games by riding a logic-defying pitching staff that sports the best ERA (2.87) in the majors. They also relied on an unmatched late-game productivity; their .833 OPS after the sixth inning was tops, too.
None of that held up Sunday night, however. It’s possible that the Mets actually did the Yankees a favor by taking Soto off their payroll, which now sits at $307 million. There’s a case to be made. And by doing so, maybe it increased the odds of these two teams facing off again in the World Series. But first, there’s a July 4th weekend matchup coming up at Citi Field.
“Clearly two good teams having a little fun in May,” Boone said.
Easy for him to say. The Yankees won.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
