With terrific seasons from the Mets and the Yankees who each reached the playoffs, New York baseball has been thrilling so far. While the two teams took vastly different roads to get to the playoffs, they both managed to have memorable moments and games that fans will remember for years. These franchises, led by Aaron Judge for the Yankees and Francisco Lindor for the Mets, have enjoyed several remarkable seasons from their stars, but especially this year. Both teams are now looking to make a run for the World Series trophy in October.
Throughout this season, Judge has cemented himself as the front-runner for the American League’s Most Valuable Player. Having been honored as only the 16th captain in Yankee history, Judge demonstrated his worthiness by bringing the Yankees back after a season filled with disappointment.
In 158 games, Judge led the league with 58 home runs, along with 144 runs batted in (RBIs) and a .322 batting average. His 144 RBIs is the most in the Major Leagues by a single player since 2009, coincidentally the same year the Yankees last won a World Series. The Yankees came out of the gate fast, becoming the first team in the majors with 50 wins. In June, Judge earned his sixth selection as the starting center fielder for the American League in the All-Star Game. Last season, Judge was out with torn ligaments in his right big toe for an extended portion of time, yet he has returned strong this season. After not reaching the playoffs last year, Judge brought the Yankees back, leading them to the number one seed in the American League and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
This season has been an absolute rollercoaster for the New York Mets, with nobody expecting them to make the playoffs. The Mets started the season 0-5 with fan attendance low and doubts high. At one point in the season, the Mets were 11 games under .500, and fans began to give up on the season. Star player, Lindor had an atrocious .083 batting average in March, followed by a disappointing .210 batting average in April. In late May, manager Carlos Mendoza made a lineup adjustment by placing Lindor in the lead-off spot for the first time this season. The move not only sparked Lindor but ignited the entire Mets offense. From June 1 through the end of the regular season, the Mets led all of Major League Baseball with a record of 65-40. Lindor is an excellent hitter while also being considered one of baseball’s best defensive shortstops. By the end of the season, Lindor was in the conversation for Most Valuable Player in the National League and was widely expected to finish second in the race behind only Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50 home runs and 50 stolen base seasons. In the second to last game of the season, Lindor hit a game-winning 2-run home run against their archrival, the Atlanta Braves, sending the Mets to the postseason, defying all the odds against them.
October baseball is back in the Big Apple, with both the Mets and the Yankees playing very well. The Mets look to continue proving people wrong, while the Yankees look to live up to the high expectations people have for them in the playoffs.
Photo Credits: “At the Mets v Yankees Game” by marcus_jb1973 is licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)