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As the Mets and Yankees get set for the first round of the Subway Series, it is interesting to note that the Yankees have not taken a Subway Season Series from the Mets since 2017 and never have taken one in the Aaron Boone era. Before I analyze this series, I have to talk about the Edwin Diaz situation which everyone is talking about today.
Pure and simple, Diaz was doing exactly what he does every game and from what pitchers tell me resin combined with sweat can create the illusion of a sticky substance. But when other pitchers were caught with that substance they were given the chance to wash their hands off. Why was Diaz denied that right? Who knows? The rule is very subjective and I hope that the umpires once this Met/Yankee series begins, keeps a close eye on Gerrit Cole for obvious reasons.
Now that a 10 game suspension awaits Diaz (as well as the loss of 1 man on the roster meaning Mets will only be able to uniform 24 players instead of 25 for the 10 games) , the Mets roster is weakened—not only vs Yankees but 5 games against the Nats and Pirates which could have playoff implications. Diaz could ask for a protest hearing and I would think lowering it to 5 games could indeed happen.
As far as this Subway Series is concerned, it is a matchup of 2 teams going in opposite directions. The Bronx Bombers have lost 3 straight series to the Bosox, Orioles, and Braves having their weaknesses exposed for all to see. They are having issues against southpaws and will see two in this series as David Peterson and Sean Manea are slated to start. They also have other issues as their bullpen has struggled and their inability to curb the running game could be something the Mets could take advantage of in this series.
Even without Diaz, the Met bullpen arms give them an advantage over the Yankee pen as Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez and Jake Diekman have given Carlos Mendoza more choices than Aaron Boone has at his disposal. With the Yankees missing both Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo coupled with struggles of Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu this Yankee lineup is basically Judge and Volpe . Aaron Judge is having a great year but I expect Mets to pitch around him forcing others to beat them.
This has been an interesting baseball season to this point and is starting to remind me of 1973. In that year, the Mets struggled in the first half while the Yanks had a great winning record. But the tide turned as the Mets got going after a clubhouse meeting (sound familiar?) and the team has a closer who found his way in the second half (much like Diaz has). And that team was managed by a man that spent a majority of his career in a Yankee uniform (much like Mendoza). You want more? In that year, the Mets benefited from no team taking a big lead as most clubs floundered during the summer much like the NL wild card standings look right now. And that 1973 Yankee team hit a roadblock right around this time of the year.
Could it be as the great Yogi Berra said, “Deja vu all over again.” Time will tell but tons of great signs are coming from that Met clubhouse and I get the feeling they believe both in each other and realize that the “so called baseball experts” have it wrong about them. Like I said, reminds me of the summer of 1973.
