From power-hitting surges to tense playoff chases, it’s been a dramatic summer for New York baseball. Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets have proved to be well-rounded teams with some prominent areas for growth, keeping them out of the top spot in their respective divisions. The two teams faced each other twice this season in the historic Subway Series. The Yankees and Mets each walked away with 2-1 series wins at home.
As of Aug. 31, the Yankees have a 76-61 record heading into the tail end of the season. The team is second in the American League East and holds the top wild card spot. The Yanks are hungry for that top spot, only three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, who lead the AL East. Winners of six of their last 10, the Yankees recently snapped a nine-game road win streak.
Despite a short stint on the injured list due to a flexor strain in his right elbow Aaron Judge is having another powerful season, currently hitting .321 with 42 homers and 96 RBIs. Judge also joined the top five for most home runs of any Yankee player. Trent Grisham has also been a standout player this season, hitting .246 with 28 homers and 57 RBIs. Grisham has been clutch in many key moments this summer, hitting multiple grand slams for the team. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has also had a well-rounded season and is trying to join the 30-30 club. He has 26 home runs and 25 stolen bases with about a month of play left. Lastly, rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler has impressed with a 2.61 ERA.
In addition to some shining stars on the field, the Yankees prioritized being aggressive at the trade deadline — something they’ve avoided in recent years. The general manager, Brian Cashman, brought seven new players to the clubhouse at the deadline. The goal was to revamp the pitching and improve infield defense. So far, new players Jose Caballero, Ryan McMahon, Jake Bird and David Bednar are some names that joined the Yankees. So far, they have made a definite impact. Caballero has been picking up the slack at shortstop, McMahon has been dazzling at third base and Bednar has added depth to the relief pitching.
It has not been all big hits and smart moves for the Yankees this season. The team went through its typical summer and post-All-Star break slump. They lost multiple series in a row and were swept twice, once by the Boston Red Sox and once by the Toronto Blue Jays, who are both in the American League East. This is unfortunate because those are the teams the Yankees are battling with for a playoff spot. The defense over the summer has also been below average. They have the ninth most errors in the league with a whopping 76. Anthony Volpe alone has accounted for 18 fielding errors, the second most in the league. He is hitting .210, which is below his career average. Despite his potential, both the coaching staff and fans are losing patience.
Across town in Queens, the Mets have had a decent season; their current record is 76-63, and they are second in the National League East, six and a half games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. With such a big gap behind the Phillies, the division title might be out of reach, but the team is still squarely in the Wild Card race. They are currently holding the final Wild Card spot in the National League behind the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs. Pete Alonso, or Polar Pete as he is known in the dugout, has had a record-breaking season. On Aug. 12, he surpassed Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs of any Mets player in history, 253 and counting. He continues to be the Mets’ most consistent power hitter with an OPS of .868 and a slugging of .518. Francisco Lindor has also had a historic season, reaching the milestones of 1,500 career hits, 250 homers and 200 stolen bases. He set a clubhouse record of eight leadoff home runs this season. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has provided steady production for this team and tied the Mets’ single-game RBI record of 9 RBIs on April 28.
This team would not have their potential without significant prospects such as Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong making their respective major league debuts this year. They both made their first major league starts in the last few weeks. After his first three starts, McLean has an ERA of 0.89. In his most recent start, he threw eight shutout innings against the Phillies to lead the Mets to a 6-0 victory. The Mets put up an impressive 19 runs against the Marlins on Aug. 29, backed by five calm and efficient innings from Jonah Tong. This season in the minors, he had an inspiring 1.43 ERA. These two young stars could add a lot of productivity to this Mets team in the coming years.
While Juan Soto has surged, other areas have faltered. The starting pitching and the bullpen have been incredibly inconsistent this season. Injuries and subpar starts from players such as David Peterson and Kodai Senga have led to a middle-of-the-pack team ERA of 3.86. The Mets were also fairly active at the trade deadline, acquiring big names such as Ryan Helsley, Cedric Mullins and Gregory Soto. Midseason acquisitions often inject new energy, but that hasn’t been the case for the Mets. Helsley made four blown saves after joining the Mets, which put pressure on the rest of the team to compensate. Gregory Soto has been mediocre at best; there is nothing to write home about. Lastly, the Mets broke the record for the most home runs in a single month in August, but ended the month with a record of 11-17. This statistic implies a fundamental disconnect between power production and execution on the field and from the bullpen.
Looking ahead, the Yankees have a demanding schedule for the remainder of the season. They have two series against the Baltimore Orioles, one against the Boston Red Sox and one against the Toronto Blue Jays, all teams in the AL East. The Yankees have struggled against the Blue Jays this season with a record of 3-7. To give themselves a solid chance at the league title, they need to perform against this daunting adversary. The Mets are also beginning a challenging stretch in their schedule. They have two series against the Philadelphia Phillies, which will determine the league title. The Mets need to be efficient with their power hitting and use the strong bats to their advantage.
Both of these New York teams have set themselves up well heading into the season’s final stretch. In the race to October, it’ll come down to who can execute under pressure — when it matters the most.
