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With the New York Yankees' win on Thursday night to reach the American League Championship Series, it became the first instance in 24 years where both New York teams made it to baseball’s final four. The New York Mets, under Carlos Mendoza's leadership, had locked in their spot in the NLCS the day before by overcoming the Philadelphia Phillies.
Both teams are now just four wins away from a potential World Series showdown, which would be their second meeting in the Fall Classic. The last time they faced off was in the 2000 Subway Series, where Derek Jeter and the Yankees came out on top.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza happy for the city of New York
“I texted a lot of people. There’s a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for,” said the Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza.
“And it’s just great. It’s great for baseball, it’s great for the city of New York that the two teams are in this position and with a really good opportunity to continue to move forward,” he continued via a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Yankees Videos.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza reached out and congratulated several members of the Yankees' organization on advancing to the ALCS last night:
"It's great for the city of New York that the two teams are in this position" pic.twitter.com/AyQ9wnLCEy
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 11, 2024
The Yankees have now joined the Mets in baseball's final four, with the Mets enjoying the first of three off days before starting their push for a World Series berth, their first since 2015.
Aaron Judge and the Yankees are set to face either the Cleveland Guardians or the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium. The Guardians and Tigers head into Game 5 of their ALDS tied at 2-2, with the decisive matchup set for Saturday afternoon in Cleveland.
On Friday night, the Mets will be watching from home, hoping the Padres and Dodgers engage in a lengthy battle before they find out whether their next destination is Los Angeles or San Diego.
Neither the Yankees nor the Mets have learned who their next opponents will be, so it's too soon to start dreaming of a Subway Series rematch. Both teams need to concentrate on winning their League Championship Series before considering a cross-town showdown.
Rare New York – New York occurrence
Since the Dodgers left Brooklyn and the Giants moved from Manhattan, postseason matchups featuring both New York teams have been rare. Only twice have the Mets and Yankees reached this stage in the same season. The first instance saw Kenny Rogers walk Andruw Jones in the bottom of the 11th inning in Atlanta, sealing the Mets' fate.
The following season delivered a memorable five-game series, featuring Roger Clemens throwing a bat at Mike Piazza, Derek Jeter hitting a leadoff home run in Game 4, and Luis Sojo’s grounder off Al Leiter that secured the Yankees’ victory.
Mike Piazza's attempt to tie Game 5 with a deep fly ball was caught by Bernie Williams. The series concluded with emotional celebrations from both manager Joe Torre and team owner George Steinbrenner.
Should the NLCS reach five games, New York City will host a playoff matchup every day next week from Monday to Friday. The first two games will take place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, followed by three games at Citi Field in Queens.
It's hard to believe that was 24 years ago. While it may be premature to make any definitive plans, it's certainly not too early to start dreaming. Both the Mets and the Yankees have a legitimate chance, giving the city hope for an exciting postseason.
While the Yankees maintained a playoff position for much of the season, the Mets took a different path to the postseason, clinching their spot on the final day of the regular season following a dismal start to 2024.
The Mets capitalized on their momentum to achieve a surprising series win against the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round, followed by eliminating the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the division series.
