By Anthony Giachin ’17, Staff Writer

As April 2015 rolled around, New York baseball fans seemed to have little to look forward to. The New York Yankees, a team with more championships than any other professional sports team, seemed to be entering a rebuilding year after the retirement of legendary captain Derek Jeter and missing the playoffs the previous two seasons. The New York Mets came into the season not having made the playoffs since 2006, and this didn’t seem likely to change coming into the 2015 season, as the Mets were going to have to compete against the highly favored Washington Nationals in their division, the NL East. It is safe to say that expectations were low for the two teams.

While die-hard Mets fan Bradley Simon ’17 was at the season’s start “expecting a very good pitching team, especially with the new arm of rookie Noah Syndergaard,” the lack of good hitters within the Mets lineup was evident. At one point in the season, they had four players in the starting lineup with a batting average of below .200. Ultimately, this led to an average start to the season. As the trade deadline came along, however, the Mets’ General Manager, Sandy Alderson, fulfilled their fans’ hopes of acquiring a big bat. The addition of Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, and Yoenis Cespedes added the spark to the Mets’ lineup that they needed. The Mets came out firing on all cylinders in the second half of the season, as they quickly became one of the most talented offensive teams in the league. Combining that with their electric starting pitching, the Mets quickly seized first place in the NL East from the Nationals and haven’t looked back. The trades midseason also satisfied the fan base, as Simon called the Cespedes deal “one of the best trade deadline deals in MLB history.” On Saturday, September 26, the Mets clinched the NL east and their first playoff appearance in nine years. They are coming into the playoffs one of the hottest and most dangerous teams in the league.

The Yankees’ season was expected to be a rebuilding year, something fans have not had to deal with for a long time. Passionate fan Aman Patil ‘17 said, “I was hopeful for the season and expecting a late season playoff push, but would not have been surprised if the season took a turn for the worst.” Despite many negative outlooks, New York Yankees began their season hot, led by the veteran bats of Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, and Brian McCann. The Yankees quickly silenced many of their doubters in the first few months of the season by doing what they do best as a franchise: win. The lights out combination of reliever, Dellin Betances, and closer, Andrew Miller, left the Yankees in first place for most of the season. As August approached, the Yankees sat comfortably in first place of the AL East by eight games, until they hit a speed bump. The Yankees bats suddenly went quiet, and the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees’ division rivals, climbed there way up to being one of the best teams in the league through their trade deadline acquisitions. Additionally, the Yankees took a crushing blow when all-star first baseman, Mark Teixiera, went down with a fractured shinbone and one of their best starting pitchers, Nathan Eovaldi, was shut down for the rest of the season due to elbow issues. While the implosion in August was “nerve-wracking” for fans, such as Patil, the Yankees were able to limit the damage, and stay in the playoff picture despite surrendering first place in the division. When asked about the Yankees skid in August, Patil commented that he was “proud of how the team has battled, and hopeful for the postseason, as the playoffs are all about overcoming adversity.” The Yankees have a very real chance to make a deep playoff push behind the dominant relief pitching, consistent starting pitching, and clutch hitting. The playoffs are no longer a distant dream for Yankees fans, as they clinched a Wild Card spot on October 1^st.

As the season winds down, the two New York teams could not be any more different. The Mets are an explosive team surrounded by youth with little experience. The Yankees have hopped on the backs of their veteran players who have played extremely well and proven themselves in the playoffs. Experience is imperative to making a deep playoff run, but the fatigue of an older team could be the downfall of the Yankees. The playoffs are wide open this year, and the idea of a Subway Series is not out of the picture. Although the Yankees have historically been better than Mets, the Mets have shocked the world this season by finishing with a better record. Being in the tri-state area, many Newark Academy students are involved in this rivalry and a Subway Series would infuse a lot of intensity into this feud. Having these two teams battle it out in the World Series behind the iconic fan bases of both teams would add an energy that New York has not seen in a long time.