The New York Yankees and New York Mets played another edition of the Subway Series.
This time, however, the three-game set had some spice, and was the most exciting series both teams have played in quite a while.
Both teams have several things in common this season: they have been booed by their own fans, they both would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today, and they have had to cope with lots of injuries.
Reviewing The Games
The Mets had an offensive explosion on Friday and jumped on left-hander Jordan Montgomery early, knocking him out of the game before he could complete four innings.
That night, Tylor Megill, a Mets rookie, had his best start of the season, striking out 10 Yankees and keeping them at two runs over seven frames.
Francisco Lindor hit the first of four homers in the series, and Javier Baez and James McCann drove in two runs apiece to secure the 10-3 victory.
On Saturday, it was the Yankees’ turn to win, and their victory included some heroics from star outfielder Aaron Judge.
That night, both teams embraced as they honored and remembered the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
It was an emotional evening, and the managers of the 2001 teams, Joe Torre and Bobby Valentine, threw ceremonial first pitches simultaneously.
The ceremonial first pitches from 2001 Mets and Yankees managers Bobby Valentine and Joe Torre:pic.twitter.com/e2M3Vu0zPV
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 11, 2021
The game itself was pretty exciting, too.
The Mets actually got to the eighth inning up 7-5, but reliever Trevor May collapsed and allowed three runs, two of which came in a game-tying homer by Judge.
Andrew Velazquez scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice.
The most exciting game, however, was on Sunday.
The Mets ended up prevailing 7-6, thanks to three home runs by Lindor.
With the Mets winning 6-4 in the seventh inning, slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a game-tying, two-run home run that included a words exchange with Lindor as he rounded the bases.
Lindor, who had heard whistling earlier in the series that came from the Yankees dugout, implied that the Bombers were stealing starter Taijuan Walker’s signs.
As Lindor made a whistling gesture at Stanton, both benches cleared and a heated exchange ensued.
Benches clear in the Yankees/Mets game after Stanton ties it up. Both teams have been chirping at each other. pic.twitter.com/vjw9sKw5pk
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) September 13, 2021
Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner mocked the Mets with a thumbs-down sign, in reference to the Mets’ players recent spat with their own fans.
After the waters calmed down, Lindor won the game in the bottom of the eighth frame with a long homer against Yankees reliever Chad Green in front of a loud crowd at Citi Field, the house of the Mets.
What’s Next For Both Teams?
With Sunday night’s outcome, the Mets moved closer to the division-leading Atlanta Braves.
The two teams are separated by three games with roughly three weeks left in the regular season.
The Yankees, on the other hand, fell out of a playoff spot for the first time since mid-August, as they are now one game behind the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays for a Wild Card berth as of Monday afternoon.
Last weekend’s Subway Series was one of the most entertaining in recent memory and included a little bit of everything.
Now, both teams will shift their focus to one goal: making the playoffs.
NEXT: Blue Jays Offense Among The Best In All Of Baseball