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The New York Rangers are close to getting their first Stanley cup since ‘94. Surprisingly, that’s not the focus of attention in the big apple. New York is abuzz with the early season success of both the Mets and the Yankees. Standing alone as the top 2 teams in their respective conferences; could this year be the return of the subway series?
The subway series dates back to a century ago when in the early 1920s, Babe Ruth and the Yankees faced off against the New York Giants (precursor to the modern-day San Francisco Giants). The Giants took the first two off of the innovative mind of manager John McGraw. The Yankees would take the 9 of the next 10 meetings of the subway series with the only loss being in 1955 when the Brooklyn Dodgers bested them in 7.
The modern legacy of the New York Subway Series is of course the famed 2000 World Series matchup between the Mets and the Yankees. The Yankees would pull out in 5 games for the third title of their 1998-2000 3-peat. Piazza’s Mets would only take one game in that series, losing in several close games.
Both teams look dominant at this stage of the season, so a question is begging to be asked…What would a subway series look like in 2022?
*DISCLAIMER: the team we see in June is not the same one we are going to see when the calendar turns to October. I am no fortune-teller; I simply can’t predict any mid-season trades or random resurgence/fall-offs. I’ll be going off of the rosters, standings, and statistics that both teams have got at the moment.*
In my clairvoyance, this is what a 2022 subway series would look like:
Game 1: Yankees win (1-0 Yankees)
Starters: Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. Jacob DeGrom (NYM)
Starting off, I know there’s debate over who could potentially start game 1 but let’s shut that down right now. Max Scherzer is a no-doubt HOFer with an excellent postseason resume, but it’s Jacob deGrom we’re talking about here. Jake Arrieta was not joking around when he said deGrom is one of the greatest pitchers to ever play.
There’s little doubt in my mind that deGrom will turn in a good game 1 start though I do think the Yankees will get to him. In particular, Giancarlo Stanton, who has batted .333 in 27 ABs with 4 home runs against the Mets ace. Gerrit Cole isn’t one to be reliable or consistent in the playoffs but I can’t see the Yankees even getting to the world series without Cole giving at least a couple of good playoff performances. The Mets are going to give another game of low run support to DeGrom. Yankees take this one in a low-scoring affair.
Game 2: Mets win (1-1)
Starters: Nestor Cortes (NYY) vs. Max Scherzer (NYM)
Nasty Nestor is slingin’ right now, but there isn’t a solid track record to go off of (much less a playoff track record). I, personally, can’t see Nestor Cortez keeping up that 1.70 ERA mark but a huge drop-off isn’t coming in the following months either. One thing I don’t foresee is him winning a pitching duel with Maxwell Martin Scherzer. It’s easier to trust Scherzer, a player who has proved to be dominant on the biggest stages. Mets win in another low-scoring affair.
Game 3: Mets win (2-1 Mets)
Starters: Luis Severino (NYY) vs. Chris Bassitt (NYM)
Chris Bassitt’s having a slightly worse season than the ones he had in 2020 and 2021 where he finished top 10 in Cy Young voting. Though as a #3 pitcher, he doesn’t need to be that spectacular. If Bassitt is even top 30 in the NL by the end of the season, the Mets should be over-the-moon. Bassitt, a player who would be the ace for plenty of teams, should turn in a quality 6-7 innings against this Yankees team.
On the other side, Luis Severino takes the start. With a history of bad playoff starts, the Yankees should not have strong confidence in Severino. The spirit of Andy Pettite isn’t all of a sudden going to escape the retired HOFer’s body and possess Severino. For that reason, I see the Mets’ offense waking up in this one to clobber Severino, carrying the team to a Game 3 victory.
Game 4: Yankees win (2-2)
Starters: Jameson Taillon (NYY) vs. Carlos Carrasco (NYM)
Carlos Carrasco and Taillon have both been their respective teams’ biggest surprises this season. Carrasco leads the league in wins at 7, while Taillon doesn’t sit too far behind at 6 wins. Carrasco is going to turn in at least 5 decent innings but the bullpen is going to come out inevitably. Luckily for the Mets, pitchers like deGrom, Scherzer, and Bassitt can go deep into games but the bullpen will have to show its face in this one, and the Mets become exposed. The Mets bullpen, at its current construction, is not built to last in November. The Yankees offense will wake up and hang several runs on guys like Adam Ottavino (whose trash talk of the Yankees will surely come back to haunt him). The Bronx Bombers even the series.
Game 5: Mets win (3-2 Mets)
Starters: Gerritt Cole (NYY) vs. Jacob deGrom (NYM)
The Mets and the Yankees both have the depth and talent to go with 5 different starting pitchers. Nonetheless, I think both teams will opt to return to their aces to shut down the now-awaken offenses.
Remember how I said that Gerrit Cole isn’t exactly the model of playoff consistency? Yeah, that’s not going to change this series as Cole turns in a Game 5 stinker. Jacob deGrom is going to Jacob deGrom and the Mets go back to Citi Field with a chance to end it all.
Game 6: Mets win (4-2 Mets)
Starters: Nestor Cortes (NYY) vs. Max Scherzer (NYM)
Before I get accusations of Yankees-hating, please let me explain myself. With the season on the line, the last person you want to trust is a 27-year-old who has only pitched well for two years. After a great game 2 start, the Yankees place trust in Nestor Cortes to bring the series to a game 7. The nerves get the best of Cortes and he only goes for a few mediocre innings, bringing in a Yankees bullpen that was used just the game before to replace Cole.
Scherzer goes deep and shuts down the threat of a 28th banner hanging in Yankee Stadium. The Mets win their third World Series ever and their first win since the 80s. Max Scherzer is awarded the World Series MVP after two dazzling starts and cements his place as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. It took nearly 40 years to finally win another, but all’s well that ends well.
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No shot. Mets always go up 2-0 on the backs of Scherzer and DeGrom. Cole and Cortes just can’t compete.
I do agree it’d be a 4-2 Mets win though.
My thoughts exactly. I can’t see these two guys losing in the playoffs.